Unbinding Love
by tb0neski
Summary: Ezreal has been accepted into Valoran's Prestigious 'Champions Academy,' where highly qualified young adults gather to learn from the Elites of the Institute of War in hopes that they may join the Summoner's Rift and become a Champion themselves. Ezreal has explored through many regions, but not even he could map out where his future would take him in the Champions Academy
1. Prologue

**A/N** : Hello everyone! This is my first "pure romance" fanfiction, i'm really excited to see how this plays out. This story will be told from the Third Person account of Ezreal, while occasionally switching to people's Point of View when indicated.

Everyone wants to become a hero at some point in their life. In Valoran, it is the aspiration of millions of people to become 'Champions' and show people how talented they are in combat. The League of Legends has been around for hundreds of years, and has made people dream night and day about the opportunity to step on the rift and call themselves the best. Not everyone can become the best, but for Ezreal, becoming the best is all he wants.

"Today is the deadline for people who got accepted into that Academy...I'm so nervous, honestly."

Ezreal started thinking to himself while he was lying down on his couch. His parents had not been home that day since they were off visiting relatives in Zaun. Ezreal had lived just outside Piltover, near the bay area. He explored many parts of Piltover and the surrounding regions, but he had never been to Ionia. It felt like a dream city to him, since almost all of the champions of the League of Legends had originated from either Demacia, Noxus or Ionia. Ezreal wasn't fond of Demacia, and had a strong hate for Noxus within his family, but everything about Ionia was perfect for him.

For many years, Ezreal had thought about the opportunities of joining the Champions on the Summoner's Rift in the League of Legends, but he was always seen as the loser in all of his previous classes that would never succeed when it mattered. "To think that even the teachers I looked up to in high school had given me the "You're not cut out for it" bullcrap when I was still reaching for the stars, what do they know?! I don't know anyone who even comes close to how much effort I put into this. My explorer prowess shouldn't be something to take so lightly!"

Ezreal was dozing off for a few seconds, but was woken up by a knock at the door and a small package left on the curb. Ezreal came outside to pick it up, noticing that the return address was the Institute of War.

"N-NO WAY! NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY NO WAYYYY!"

Ezreal shredded the folder in half, throwing the remains on the ground and gazing deeply into the paper that he held before him. It read:

' _To whom it may concern,_

 _Congratulations, you have proven to be an excellent candidate for the Champions Academy, and have been formally invited to participate in the next class of Champions this coming semester! By accepting this invitation, you will be on your way to achieving your dreams and creating a legacy for yourself, not only as a Champion but as a figure that children and young adults alike can look up to for generations upon generations. At the Champions Academy, we only hire the best and most qualified faculty, while inviting the top 5% of the thousands of entries we receive every year. It will be our pleasure to work with you and help strengthen you so that you may one day walk on that rift and become a Legend. Please reply to the official Institute of War on SummoningInstitute in the next week, or we will consider this invitation invalid._

 _With pride, honor, and glory,_

 _Terrence Ivanci, President of the Institute of War.'_

Ezreal's heart nearly skipt a beat, as his hands were still shaking with the paper in his hand. He fell over on his couch in complete disarray of everything that he had just read, and went to reach for his phone to tell his parents immediately.

"Finally, i'm only a few steps away from making this world know of my awesome presence! I'll show all those people who told me I couldn't make it that I am the best! This time, I will go where no other explorer has gone..." He smiled, as he hoisted the paper in the air. "...Not just the Summoner's Rift, but I will travel the world and leave behind my legacy as the greatest marksman alive!"


	2. Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

Before the Institute of War had been established, war had constantly erupted in all regions of Valoran. Veterans of war were revered not for their power, but their sacrifice to their respective nations. The governing body at the Institute of War had been able to spread peace to all lands and end most of the violent conflicts.

Now, with the establishment of the League of Legends, there had been brave contestants that fight for the position of "Champion" inside the Summoner's Rift every year. The fascination with becoming a Champion has to do with the insane skill it requires to be one, along with the fame that they bring to themselves and their nation. The balance of power shifts constantly between which region is the strongest on the rift, and for Ezreal, he would love for nothing more than to establish himself at the best of something. The amount of time that Ezreal had dedicated himself to his own personal training and adventuring was unprecedented among people his age, so he was seen as a lot more special. Due to this, he was also often outcasted since he refused to work with other people or take heed of the message of others.

"I will become the strongest marksman, not only in Piltover, but in the entirety of Valoran. Those people who doubted me will see just how strong I really am!"

Ezreal's father was a veteran of war, and had always feared that Ezreal would one day hurt himself after overworking himself. You see, Ezreal had a large superiority complex with everyone else around him. Ezreal felt so weak and useless when he was around his father, because his strength was nothing even close to that of his father. That is why when Ezreal figured out that he had been accepted into Champions Academy that he kept it from his Dad in the hopes that he could just tell his mother, since you only needed the consent of one parent.

That night, Ezreal had been bombarded by his father as soon as they got home. "Son, you're hiding something from me, aren't you?!"

"What are you talking about? Are you drunk?"

"Don't lie to me." His father sat down on his bed, and Ezreal sat next to him. "You think I can't tell after eighteen years of raising you when you are holding onto information you don't want me to know?"

"Dad…" It took a lot of willpower, but he finally confessed. "Fine! This morning, a letter came in the mail. It was from the Institute of War; they accepted me into Champions Academy."

Ezreal's father gave him a long glare. "So it's true. I knew you would never listen to my word." Ezreal's father attempted to walk out of his room in disapproval, but Ezreal caught his hand.

"DAD, COME ON! I'm going to become an adult, and move on to my own life. Every single day of my life, I've woken up with the same goal in mind. The only thing I want to become is a Champion. How hard is it to accept that?!"

Soon, the door cracked open, and Ezreal's mother peeked in. "Ez, are you okay sweetheart?"

Ezreal pointed at his father. "Talk some sense into this man!"

"Walter, what is the issue this time?" Ezreal's mother looked like she was really upset with how much they continually quarreled over the smallest things. This time, it seemed like it would be something that would blow up if it wasn't contained.

"Look, Kate…" Walter began to have flashbacks of the time when his father left him. For so long, he was the only man in his house and had to work himself to death every day to get through the rent with his mother and younger sisters. It was so hard for Walter that he openly drafted himself for war, hoping that he could continue to protect his family. He wears many scars of war on his face, one in particular just right under his right cheek where he was grazed by a Noxian sword. Before he started to tear up, he brushed his hand through his hair. "Ezreal…is my only son. He is the only other boy that I share a close blood-relation to, and it's not easy for me to even think about anything happening to him. I want to be a better father than my old man who left me, but…"

Kate came over to Walter, and put her hands around his neck and looked up at him. "Then do it. Ezreal isn't being drafted off into the Piltover Military Academy…your son is pursuing his one and only dream that even you would've most likely participated in had you gotten the chance. To ignore your son right here would be the equivalent of walking out on him…just like your father, Walter."

The scene became very emotional, and both of them felt tears run down each other's face. Walter held it in for so long, but it was hard to hide how protective he was of Ezreal. What made it especially difficult for Ezreal to have a social life was everyone knowing how scary and restrictive his father was.

Ezreal finally chimed in. "Dad, Mom is right. I never meant to make you think you were an incompetent father. Yeah, I really never liked you that much, but I'll always l love you as my Dad. This is the only decision that I'm asking you to trust in me for once; can you find it in yourself to accept me?"

Walter looked at the paper that Ezreal was now holding up to him. He sat back down, and stared into space for a while before breathing a sigh of relief. "I…I'll allow it."

Ezreal instantly came over and hugged his father tightly. It was warming for both him and his mother to see the two finally share a semblance of a father-son bond.

"But you better know I'm going to have a TON of strings attached to this agreement, you hear?! If you want to live over there, it's on your dime. You better call me or your mother at least twice a week, and DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GETTING A GIRLFRIEND WITHOUT TELLING ME!"

All of them laughed together as Walter signed off on the consent form. He sent it in later the next day, and Ezreal had decided that he wanted to live in Ionia with the rest of his classmates. Ezreal was a big mama's boy, and relied on her a lot more than he realized up until this point, so saying goodbye was really hard. Even though Ezreal pretended to be very independent, he learned most of what he knows now from his parents. It was his hopes that when he entered Champions Academy that he could finally become his own person, without the disturbance of other people in his life.

Ezreal first stepped foot into Ionia that day at noon, when he was greeted by the superiors and gatekeepers of Ionia.

"Welcome to the land of Ionia, traveler! We hope you enjoy your stay!"

Ezreal scoffed at them, and went on ahead before he was halted once more.

"You there, what is your name?"

Ezreal behind him, to see the shining figure of one of the champions of the Summers Rift – Irelia.

"Well, you do have a name, right? Out with it!"

Ezreal was still shaking from being in the presence of a champion, but he tried to shake it off and keep it cool. "Oh, name…yeah! My name is Ezreal. I'm sorry, it's just really different being greeted by such a famous Champion as yourself, ahaha!"

Irelia smiled. "Well, we are all regular people in our own daily lives. Anyway, I've been asked by the Institute of War to guide you to the Champions Academy. I do hope you fare well there; that place has not gotten anything but tougher from what I have heard."

Ezreal put both his hands behind his heads and laughed. "Yeah, we'll see! Maybe for a bunch of people who aren't worthy of becoming a Champion, but for me, I will handily conquer this place!"

Irelia felt strange around Ezreal, because it seemed as if he had almost no respect for the level of difficulty that the Champions Academy had been known for. "Being cocky is fine every now and then, but you must learn to be humble in order to compete with the rest at this Academy. Please, I say this only for the benefit of you."

Ezreal still looked like he didn't care about what Irelia was saying. He was in awe of what he was seeing around him instead, because he had never seen what Ionia had looked life before. "This place is beautiful! I could explore the vast lengths of this land for the rest of my life if I had to!"

Irelia looked around as well, and felt a strong sense of connection to everything around her. "Since it is my homeland, I'm quite fond of it myself. What exactly is Piltover like?"

Ezreal thought to himself of something that could fit his hometown in a nutshell. "Boring."

"Boring?" Irelia tried to hold in laughter, since she knew a lot of champions from Piltover that she had small quarrels with. "I can't say I'm in denial, but I hope that I can come to you in the future for more similar information!"

"Well, I'd be honored!"

"I'll keep that in mind. Anyways, the Champions Academy is just yonder here, over those hills. I wish you the best of luck, Ezreal. Take care." Irelia jumped away and ran back to her post immediately. Ezreal ran up to the hill, and looked forward as he noticed the one and only Champions Academy. It was just as he had heard – huge, magnificent, gorgeous, and most of all filled with the best heroes in all of Valoran.

"For now, this is my new home!"

Ezreal walked into campus, and immediately heard his name being called out from behind him.

"EZREAL!"

It was Lux, an old friend of Ezreal's.

"Lux, you got accepted into here too?! Haha, I shouldn't be too surprised though. I knew you could make it!"

Lux smiled and hugged Ezreal. "I've missed you so much, I wish I wasn't so busy during the summer."

Ezreal patted her head. They had been previous classmates and childhood friends for quite a long time, so this was a nice small reunion that they were having. "I know it's sudden, but maybe we should meet up some other time. I'm sure both of us are going to be pretty busy today."

Lux held onto Ezreal's hand. "Aww, but I just got done touring the place and getting all my stuff into my room!"

"Ahah, that's great but I just got here myself." Ezreal was scratching his head while trying to assess the situation. "Well, I'm not doing much right no-"

"AH, THERE YOU ARE!" As soon as Ezreal was about to give in, he was interrupted by someone. "We've been expecting you ever since you sent in your reply. I'm so honored to be able to meet you here, Ezreal."

The person who came up to Ezreal was Professor Ryze, who taught the main courses that everyone had to take at the Champions Academy

"Oh, Professor Ryze! It's a great honor to meet you, Sir!"

Ryze laughed and took Ezreal with him, leaving behind Lux. "Oh, I'll see you tomorrow Lux!"

Lux couldn't even reply, Ezreal was just being dragged out into the center of the Academy. "I'll let you keep your personal life to yourself, but you should know that we have a strict policy on male and female interaction here at Champions Academy."

"W-Whoa, what?! She's not my girlfriend or anything, I swear!"

Ryze smirked and kept carrying on. "I'm just joking of course. I'm just here to show you around our Academy and then give you a residence assignment. So, you'll see here…"

Ezreal felt a little overwhelmed. ' _Today's sure been really eventful so far. I can't imagine how many people live here, considering how big it is. I can't believe I'm already surrounded by a bunch of Champions that I've admired for so long. I can't stop working now, though. Now that I am here, I aim to go straight to the top!'_

"Are you listening?"

Ezreal was caught off guard, and tried to defend himself. "Ah, yeah! Geez, I really need to catch back on the sleep haha."

Ryze felt confused, then turned away from him. "Well then, as I said before, this is your residence. There's not too many people in this building yet, but we've made sure to fill it full of people who also seek to become a marksman. In about 2 hours, I'm going to ask everyone to meet here by the statue of me so that we can introduce everyone to their respective classmates over cake and ice cream. I do hope you'll be there; I'd love to talk with you more."

Ezreal nodded, and went inside the building. He was greeted by the front desk, and given his room key to 322. Ezreal decided to take the stairs since he wasn't carrying anything, and just as Ryze said, there was next to no one in the building even though classes would start soon. To Ezreal's knowledge, there was only a couple more buildings, so it seemed odd that this building in particular didn't have that many people.

Regardless, Ezreal jumped onto his new bed and took a small nap. "I don't really care about new classmates, but I guess it'll be cool to see new people." Ezreal thought back to the few friends that he had in high school.

' _It sure was an interesting time back then. I can't say it made that much of a difference to me, since I aim to perfect myself without having to rely on others. The strength it takes to be a marksman isn't something that someone can just learn – I believe that I have the talent required to become a Champion. I won't let anyone stand in my way!'_

Time flew by, and Ezreal looked at his watch to see that he was three minutes late to the meeting already. He hopped back up and slightly brushed his hair to the right with his hand and went off. Luckily for Ezreal, it wasn't too far away from where he was staying so it only took a couple minutes to get there. He was again greeted by Professor Ryze. "Ah, it's good to see you again. According to my document…Right, you'll be in my 4A Class. Your classmates are just right over there!" Ryze pointed out to a bunch of people sitting right by the statue, and Ezreal walked over to them with his hands crossed, hoping to just kill time as fast as he could.

"YAY, WE'RE IN THE SAME CLASS!" Lux came behind Ezreal and hugged him once more, while he met with everyone else. Lux came from behind Ezreal and bowed to the people who were there. Ezreal decided that he wanted to start by talking with the other women that were there.

"How's it hanging, ladies?" Ezreal attempted his best 'cool guy' look, but ended up embarrassing himself by tripping over a brick.

Most of them laughed and scoffed at Ezreal, but one of them came to Ezreal's aide. She extended her hand, and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

Ezreal looked up while feeling the bruise on his knee, and what he saw had startled him because of how beautiful the girl was. Time froze right there for Ezreal in that moment, and he almost forgot to respond. He got back up, and asked, "What's your name?"

The girl smiled, saying, "Well, my name is Ahri. As you can see, I'm half human and half fox. I hope that doesn't startle you too much, most people think I'm a freak show."

Ezreal immediately replied, "Not at all! I mean, you're really different but you look, eh well…great!" He immediately realized that he didn't introduce himself. "Oh, I'm Ezreal by the way. I hope you remember my name, because someday you're going to see me on the Rift, whether you become a Champion or you watch me on Ionian TV!"

Ahri smirked, saying, "I sure hope so! I don't think I'm nearly as talented as most people here, but I too want to become a champion. I hope we both meet our goals!"

' _Whoa, this girl is actually really cute. I don't know why, but for some reason I really hope she succeeds so that I can see what she's really made of. Yeah, succeed with me, Ahri!_ '


	3. Chapter 2 - The Training Grounds

_'Seeing all of my classmates for the first time was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Although, my class is so big that there's still a bunch of people I haven't talked to. I'm still without a doubt the top of my class from what I've scouted, but I'll be interested into talking to more people.'_

Ezreal rolled over in his new bed, and yawned. "Wait, what time is it?" He glanced over at his watch, and noticed it was 9:00.

Ezreal thought to himself. "Uhh…I think class starts now…oh yeah, it does."

Ezreal dashed out of the room with his hands full of things that he had to stuff in his backpack. Once he got outside, he scrambled to find the map that Ryze gave him yesterday.

' _Ugh, if I was listening to him yesterday I wouldn't be having this issue!'_

Ezreal continued to run, while trying to remember what building he was in. The first of the class for everyone at the Champions Academy was Combat Training, which helped people get into an exercise routine that was essential to do well on the Rift

"Hah…I'm going to run out of breath before I even get…there…UGH!" Ezreal face-planted into someone running in his direction right outside of a corner, and Ezreal rubbed his head while looking up from the ground. "Hey, you're…"

The other person looked back down. "Ezreal?" It was Ahri. She helped up Ezreal and apologized a ton. "I'm kind of in a rush to that first class, too. I don't live on Campus, so it's harder for me to navigate all the way up here."

Ezreal lent out his hand. "Well, two brains are better than one. That statement is especially true if you add the fact that I'm one of those brains!"

Ahri laughed under her breath, and accepted Ezreal's hand. She had memorized the map that she got, so they walked together to Runaan's Hall, where Combat Training was going on.

"EH? YOU'RE BOTH LATE!" The teacher of the class, Braum, had given both Ahri and Ezreal deadly looks. "You should feel lucky that I am the one teaching this course this season, because anyone else would've had both your asses if they saw you pulling this on the first day. We've already finished warm up exercises, so run the track 3 times while we're setting up the Training Grounds."

Both of them nodded. Ezreal tried to keep up his stamina, but it was really hard for him. This was a big change of pace for Ezreal, that is, having to engage in lots of physical activities. Although he was in love with exploring, it didn't require him to work out or exercise a lot. Ezreal saw Ahri running just as fast as she was when they ran into each other.

' _Now that I think of it…What happened back then? All I can remember is colliding head with her, but I didn't fall on my back…I went forward. Did I…uhhh…'_ Ezreal, now realizing that he landed in Ahri's chest, felt very embarrassed. As such, he felt himself progressively going slower.

"Hey, what's wrong, Ez?" Ahri already ran a lap and went past Ezreal once more, noticing his blank red face.

"Ah, n-nothing!" Ezreal now felt his inferiority complex coming into play, since he seemed so weak in comparison to Ahri. He started running and eventually caught back up to her, and went back to talking to her. "Hey, I never got to ask you. Where do you live?"

Ahri closed her eyes and just kept running. "Hmmm…Ionia is my homeland, but I don't really like discussing my living arrangements."

Ezreal thought to himself. "Did your parents kick you out?"

Ahri was startled by Ezreal's statement, and shed a single tear while severely outpacing Ezreal.

"Whoa, hey come on!"

In a few moments, they heard a loud whistle blow once more. Now that the training grounds was set up, they had to line up behind the rest of their classmates and listen to the next instructions. What they saw before them looked peculiar, because it seemed like something that would be created for a military academy instead of a school for champions.

"Listen up, everyone." Braum started reading off the rules of the First Day's trial. "A lot of you came here probably expecting to hit the books instantly, but true champions are ones that do not feel distant to the battlefield. Thus, we need to train your warrior spirit and see how resilient you truly are. If you fail to finish this course within three minutes…" Braum put on a scary and serious face. "…You will be failed out of this institution."

The crowd went wild. One person in particular walked up to Braum and started threatening him with his pocketknife. "Are you kidding me?! I didn't spend thousands of dollars for you to take away my education like that!"

Braum sighed, and he took the student by a chokehold with his right arm. "Do you think we want to say goodbye to so many intelligent and passionate students just like that? We have no choice..." Braum let him go, and threw him back to the crowd. "It's really sad, but we have to maintain brutally hard curriculum in order to discern who truly deserves to become champions. Believe me, I have contested this recent change with all my heart, but I respect President Ivanci's decision 100%. Let me explain briefly…"

Braum started to recall when he first took over as the instructor for Combat Training. He had met with Ryze and Ivanci on a Saturday afternoon right there in the same field that they were standing in.

' _Braum, I know you are a much more of a kind hearted person than some of the previous instructors that I put in for this course, but you have to promise me one thing.'_

 _'What would that be, sir?'_

 _Ivanci put both his arms on Braum's shoulders and stared deep into his eyes. 'You need to be ruthless to your students. Constantly push them harder and harder, and don't let them get off easy in any area. If anything were to happen similar to what happened to my daughter…' Ivanci had to stop for a second to hold in himself. 'No, I refuse to let that ever happen again. I will make sure that our academy only produces the most qualified students. If they step on the Rift without sufficient training, their lives would be in danger.'_

 _Ryze handed over a big list of things that were going to change now with Braum becoming the new instructor. 'We're going to be counting on you to make sure you have a tight leash on your class. You are going to be vital in weeding out the people who think they can get by without working at this institution. Since you are the first instructor, you need to make sure everyone knows that the slightest mistake is highly punishable. As Ivanci said, we've added some new things for the first few classes of Combat Training…Check out the bottom of this list.'_

 _Braum scrolled his eyes all the way to the bottom, and gripped the paper with surprise. 'You…can't be serious. You want me to tell them that, on the first day?!'_

 _Ivanci started to blow up. 'WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE?' He turned his back to Braum and held his fists right by his side. 'Would you rather we let them keep going, until eventually they work themselves to death? Would you rather we keep the status quo and send incompetent people on the Rift to live their life in eternal hell? Would you rather people lose all trust they have in their superiors, their teachers, their parents, their heroes…'_

 _Ryze tried to calm down Ivanci, and he went on. 'He's just right on this one, Braum. We've made a large mistake on sending too many people onto the Rift, only to see them turn out horrible. Not only that, we lost sight of our goals. We were more concerned with being parents instead of instructors. If we can't make a large statement on the first day of class, we'll continue to fail just like we have. As such, we have to change something.'_

 _Braum started to become a lot more understanding of them at this point for creating such a hard policy. Being a Champion is not something that it is really cut out to be. In fact, the Institute of War has a lot of hard pressing secrets that only veterans of the Rift and the people of the Institute of War know about. Braum doesn't even want to begin pondering on the things he had to go through when he was a Champion._

"I shouldn't have to explain this in the first place, but I think it's fair that everyone knows the whole story. That is why I plan on being the hardest instructor you will ever have. Now, if you can't accept this rule, the exit is to your left. Get out and continue living life as a content loser."

Some people begrudgingly left out of anger, but a bulk of the class was still there. There was one person in particular who decided that he would step up to the plate first. He whipped his hair to the left and breathed in. "I'll show everyone there is nothing to fear." That one person ran through all the hoops, wall climbing, swinging, gliding, and crawling in less than two minutes. The entire crowd was impressed, and we went back to them while bowing and introducing himself. "My name is Jayce. I'm honored to be humbled by such amazing people. I know you all are highly talented, so I want to bestow upon you the courage that has helped me travel to a different land in search of my own dreams."

Braum clapped his hands. "Alright now, let's keep it moving! Class won't last too long."

Before Jayce went to the end of the line, he greeted Ahri, who was just about to set sight on her first attempt. He kissed her hand, and said, "I wouldn't want such a lovely lady like you to disappear from this place. I'll be cheering you on from the back!"

Ahri blushed, but tried to contain herself. Jayce was a very handsome man, and was a lot taller and better dressed than most of the other men at the Champions Academy. He wore a big suit and had a lot of pockets filled with gadgets, although he didn't bother to mess with any of them while he was on the course.

When it was Ahri's turn, she had lots of trouble. Ezreal saw her in the distance and noticed that she wasn't very good at wall climbing, even though she was technically half-fox and seemed more physically adept than Ezreal. When she finished, she had barely made the time but felt somewhat relieved.

"You have to do better than this, Ahri."

Ahri silently nodded her head. "I know, although I'm still not sure if I'm cut out for this."

Jayce laughed and came to her side out of nowhere. "Excuse me, Ahri…that's your name, right?"

"Uh…Oh, yeah."

Jayce had his arm on Ahri's right shoulder, and she was awkwardly trying to look away because she was so shy. "Even though I know you have a lot of ambition in becoming a champion, there's no shame in accepting defeat in this instance."

Ezreal felt enraged, and ran all the way out of the crowd only to be stopped by Braum. "You're up, Ezreal."

Ezreal struggled to get past Braum, so instead he just shouted, "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

"Huh?" Jayce looked over to Ezreal, who looked furious with Jayce.

"How could you feel so nonchalant as to tell one of your classmates to fail out of the Academy? You're full of shit!"

Jayce was tempted to walk over to where Ezreal was, but instead he stayed where he was and laughed. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but we no longer live in a fantasy world. All of us here have gathered to compete against each other in the hopes of becoming a champion. It is my destiny to walk the Rift and rid of all the trash that has filled this world."

"YOU PRETENTIOUS PIECE OF-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Braum slammed his shield down in between both of them. "I won't stand for this nonsense on my field. Jayce, you are done for today. Leave and prepare for your next class."

Jayce closed his eyes while walking off. "As you wish. I'll have to finish with this you later, eh?"

Ezreal held his fist out to Jayce. "Gladly."

Ezreal went ahead and finished his run through of the course, and got a record score of 1:30. He was so mad that he converted his energy into strength and completely swept the course. Ezreal just walked off and started heading back to his room, since he didn't have another class for the rest of the day.

' _I have no patience for those who treat others so poorly. I'll make quick work of that jerk if I get the chance!'_

"Hey, Ez!" Before Ezreal could leave Runaan's Hall, he was caught by Ahri who wished to talk to him.

"Oh, what's up Ahri?"

"Well, I wanted to thank you for standing up to Jayce. You know, I've actually been considering leaving for quite a while now; that's why I was so conflicted when Jayce had also told me that I should leave as well."

Ezreal still felt torn over that, but what he was more frustrated at was Ahri's weak resolve. More than he did in his life, he wanted to see someone other than himself succeed. "He's wrong about you! I know you must be strong, because you couldn't have been accepted otherwise. That's why I want you to stay here and succeed with the rest of our class."

Ahri still felt shy, but not as much when she was around Ezreal. "I don't know, it's hard for me to see myself get that much stronger in so long. I've never had lots of people that I can call friends."

"Then let me help you get there!" Ezreal held her hands while saying this statement, and now Ahri was really feeling uncomfortable.

"Um…"

Ezreal just realized that he was holding her hands, and felt embarrassed. "AH, y-you know I'll be there to look out for you so you better not drop out, okay!?"

Ahri smiled slightly. "Alright, I'll stay for now."

"Great, I'm glad. Well, I need to go catch up on sleep so I'll see you later!" He waved at Ahri and ran off, still trying to hide his nervous face. Ahri actually felt a little more uneasy, but in a way that she hadn't felt before.

' _Why is my heart still beating so non-stop?'_

When Ezreal got to his room, he noticed a bunch of boxes just outside in the hallway and his door was wide open. He went in the room to see his roommate, Ekko.

"Oh hey there! I'm guessing you're my roommate."

Ekko was installing his fridge, when he came out to notice Ezreal. "Oh hey! Yeah, I just got in today because I was too lazy to spend extra money on traveling yesterday. The name's Ekko." He shook his hand.

"I'm Ezreal, you can just call me Ez if you want. I already have all my stuff opened and laid out here on my right side, so I can help you unpack if you want."

"I'd really appreciate that! I didn't get much help from my parents coming here, haha."

Ezreal smiled and laughed. "Yeah, me too! Although I decided I didn't want to bring much for now. How did you get all this here in the first place?"

"Oh, I flew it in."

Ezreal looked a little confused. "You…flew it in?"

"Yeah! What, you don't have your own private jet?"

' _Oh god, I got a rich brat for a roommate. Joy.'_

"Well, my folks weren't exactly the most well off. I had to use a lot of my own money just to get here in the first place."

Ekko jumped on his bed. "That sucks, I couldn't imagine having to do that much work! I'm really hoping to get by in this class with a borderline GPA so that I can graduate easily. You know, this actually wasn't my first school I wanted to go to, but the thought of being a champion sounded way too cool to pass up!"

' _Seriously?! This guy is a total clown! How the hell does he get accepted into here?'_

"Oh, do be careful with that box! It has my supercomputers."

Ezreal really felt ticked off now. "You have more than one?!"

"It's okay dude, you can have that one in the bottom. I don't use it that much anyway."

' _Well, at least he's a generous clown. Still really offputting…WAIT, WHY AM I UNPACKING ALL HIS STUFF FOR HIM? Whatever, I'll get a bunch of sleep once I'm done with this. Tomorrow, one of my most important classes starts. I hope that I get to meet more people.'_


	4. Chapter 3 - Dreams

It was hard for Ezreal to sleep that day because Ekko was being exceptionally loud on his supercomputers, and he appeared to be working on some gadgets. Zaun was always the place in Ezreal's mind that big inventors and scientists went to, since he barely knew anyone who could do anything involving high grade technology in Piltover. As such, he didn't bother to question him since he knew that he too wasn't a tech junkie.

' _Tomorrow is going to be the first day that I actually have to talk to more people. I really hope that punk isn't in my class…All I was told about this class is that it should be at the forefront of my dreams, because it is whatever I make of it. What could that mean…I wonder…'_

Ezreal woke up around 6 A.M. and decided to go eat breakfast in the big cafeteria in the center of the Academy. The place was packed, since breakfast was only open for another hour. Ezreal decided that he wanted to just get some cereal and a waffle, since all the other lines were packed. Once he got his bowl full of Valoran's greatest cereal, Rune Flakes, he bumped into someone who was coming behind him.

"Ah, sorry!"

Ezreal immediately noticed it was Jayce, and he gave him a stern look. "You…"

Jayce smirked. "What's with the attitude this early, Ez? I never meant to spark any wild emotions inside of you. When I talk to anyone, I do not hide anything or talk to them differently. I only speak the truth, and I know that the truth is YOU are someone who I can see walking on the Rift someday."

"I don't care what you think of me! Your perception of Ahri is totally rude and baseless. Just leave her alone for the rest of your time here!"

Ezreal wouldn't even let Jayce reply, he was too mad to keep up a conversation with someone he hated. Now, Ezreal was standing in front of a lot of tables that were completely full. Ezreal had no patience, and decided to take the first open spot.

"Is this taken?"

Ezreal decided to sit down at a table of four, with one of the seats being empty. The person who sat directly across from Ezreal smiled, saying, "Nope, feel free to sit here."

"Hey, didn't I see you yesterday?"

The girl removed her mask, Ezreal immediately recognized her. "It's a definite possibility. I wasn't feeling myself yesterday, so I hope that I can show you a stronger version of myself in the future, hah. Anyways, my name is Akali."

"I'm Ez, it's nice to meet you. I'm new here so I'm still trying to get adjusted to life in Ionia."

"I see." Akali was another student at the Champions Academy that also came from Ionia, but lived in the northern region for most of her life. "I know a lot of people here since I grew up with a majority of the Ionian students here, I can't imagine how rough it must be transitioning to an entire new land without that same exposure."

"Yeah, but I don't mind that much. I've been doing things on my own for a long time, so this isn't new to me. Even if I don't find a lot of other people to make friends with, I'm not here to make friends."

Akali was intrigued by what Ezreal said. "Well of course that is true, but do you really wish to live life in such a boring and uneventful manner?"

Ezreal didn't understand what she was trying to get at. "What? This is my dream! I don't need to do anything extra so long as I become a champion!"

Akali was done with her food, and she got up to go put her plates away. "I believe you will change your mind, given some more time to think about it. Just remember, Ezreal…" She walked away and tilted her head slightly over to see Ezreal before she left. "You rely on others just as much as others rely on you. Wandering through a dark cave without a light doesn't matter even if you have a map."

Ezreal scratched his head. ' _The hell does that even mean?! Sounds like some dumb omen you would hear from a monk who has no idea what they are saying.'_ Ezreal went ahead and finished up his food while thinking about what Akali said for the remainder of the time he spent until his class finally came. He was one of the first people to show up, the others being Lux and Akali. Even though Lux wanted to sit in the back, she immediately sat right next to Ezreal in the front.

"Are you excited for the first class of Rift Project, Ezreal?"

Ezreal glanced over at Akali, who was staring out the window. "I guess. I didn't read much on this class, what do we even do?"

"From this class, we will be customizing our skills for the Rift and learning more about the daily tasks of Champions inside the Institute of War."

' _I still can't get Akali out of my mind. Maybe if I excel in this class by myself, I can show her she is wrong. I refuse to rely on others who are competing for my dream job!'_

The class started to fill quite fast. It was 10 sharp, and the 30 desks were taken by all the people who were in the 4A class, and Professor Ryze had still not gotten there.

"What gives?!" Ekko had his feet on top of his desk in the far right desk in the back. "I actually woke up really early for this class, and Professor just doesn't show up? What a joke!"

Akali gave him a dirty glare. "10 is early for you?" Still, Ekko tuned out Akali and kept complaining to people around him.

Then, Ryze ran in the classroom with a big backpack on and two coffee cups in his hands. "Hah…Sorry everyone, the coffee machine wasn't working and I had to steal some from Caitlyn's class. Now then, welcome to Rift Project 101. I'm going to hand out some papers in a little bit, but essentially this class is going to be mostly a history class of the Rift and also some key time to create a Summoners Rift profile for yourselves. You can think of how you want to represent yourself, what kind of abilities you will use, and how you will transition into living like a Champion. This is a pass or fail class, and two fails means you are expelled. Are there any questions before we get started? This class is going to go by fast."

Everyone looked at Ryze very puzzled. One person spoke up, and said, "This grading system seems completely arbitrary. Who are you to judge if our individual ideas for our Champion are wrong?"

Ryze laughed. "Well, let me tell you something. _It is going to be painfully obvious who deserves to pass this class._ If you can't follow simple instructions and keep up with my curriculum, please don't waste my time."

A couple people came to Ryze's desk in a fit. "What is it with you instructors at this Academy!? I was told that we were going to be treated with the respect we deserve for being accepted! I'm not your pet project!"

Ryze drank a big sip of his coffee, and leaned back in his chair. "Class, if you would please…" Everyone looked at Ryze. "You see these kids in the front? _These are the failures I was talking about earlier_."

The class laughed, but the two of them got even angrier. "What?! How dare you! I-"

"Look…we should leave…"

"I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT MY MONEY."

Ryze laughed. "You're not getting it back. Consider it a donation to developed more qualified Champions in the future."

' _Whoa, they weren't kidding when they said that they were going to start being a lot tougher on us. Geez, I better keep quiet around the instructors from now on.'_

As the two left, many other people also left in a similar protest. Technically, they could all still stay at the Academy for a couple more weeks, but it would be impossible for them to pass their classes if they missed more than a few. That's why the more dedicated people had continued to stay. The class was down to ten people; those ten were Ahri, Ezrael, Garen, Riven, Pantheon, Lux, Ekko, Jayce, Akali, and Janna. Ryze decided to get up and start talking to them all once more.

"Look around you, everyone. You are still here after such ordeals, because your desire to win is greater than your fear of defeat or hard work. I appreciate being able to work with people who know their place, since I've had to work with some excruciating little demon children in the past few years. Now then, let's talk about the history of the Rift, shall we?"

Ryze open up a presentation to talk about the time when the Institute of War was made. Inside his presentation were pictures of him when he joined the first coalition to create the Summoners Rift, along with many war veteran friends of his. In the beginning, it was completely funded by donators and people who left their job to try and keep peace in Valoran.

Ekko raised his hand. "I heard that many countries had protested the Institute of War at first in the fear that it would spread even deadlier wars by combining the best fighters in all regions. Is this true."

"Yes. In fact, there are many conspirators in all the lands in Valoran who spread these rumors. Frankly I don't think it undermines the Institute at all, since we have a long history now of doing the exact opposite. The reason that we were able to stop nations from sanctioning or declaring war on us was by holding demonstrations with Champions from people around Valoran, who belonged to all different nations. Had this failed, there would be endless war everywhere."

Ezreal also raised his hand. "What does any of this have to do with us creating our won profiles?"

Ryze didn't hesitate. "Everything, Ezreal. History is not just a wall of text, but a referendum on who we are as individuals here today. This shapes how you will start to get a feel for who you really wish to be, not to mention how you will start to train in order to achieve that."

Now, Ryze had opened up an even bigger powerpoint on all the training regimes that people used to go through inside the Institute. The one other class that was dedicated to everyone's mastery would go more in detail on how they should seek to put in place their training, but for now Ryze decided to give them some examples of how people from the first brigade of Ionia had practiced. Originally, there was a hot room in the Institute that people could use to test out all their abilities, but it was destroyed from overuse and had to be replaced with an outdoors training facility that was similar to the one at the Champions Academy. In recent years, Champions Academy had spent a large amount of money to create the Proving Grounds, which was where all champions had to prove themselves in battle before stepping onto the Rift.

' _This is incredible! The only thing left for me is to create my profile and I'll be the first to get through those Proving Grounds.'_

Then, Ezreal looked over to Akali once more, who also glanced at him. "Something the matter?"

"Huh? Actually, yeah! Tell me what you meant by what you said earlier."

Ryze broke it up before they could continue. "Now now, class is almost over. I'm going to ask you all to please write your name, your age, location, phone number and profile details on these notecards that I'm handing out. When I say details, consider what you saw in those demonstration videos. What kind of exercises did people have to do every morning just to be able to kick as hard as they did? Or, how did their abilities interact with who they were and what their calling was? This will be the last task for you all today. Next, we will be able to make virtual demonstrations of what you think would match you. You should be talking to your respective classmates because this class will start to require a lot more work than one person can do, so get to know each other! Once you're done, you're free to leave."

Ezreal went ahead and scribbled down some ideas he was thinking of, since he knew that he could change them in the future. He jolted out of the room so that he could talk to Akali, who just got done as well.

"Okay Akali, out with it!"

Akali didn't even put thought into her response. "Give it some time."

"Come on, what's the big idea?"

Ahri came into the hallway, and called out Ezreal's name. Akali winked and went off. "Life will give you answers if you seek hard enough."

"Wai-ugh never mind! Oh, what's up Ahri?"

"Would you like to eat lunch with me? I don't really have too much going on, and you're the only other person I really know here."

Ezreal declined. "I need to get straight to work if I want to finish that profile by tonight!"

"Oh…Okay! See you tomorrow then…" Ahri waved bye to Ezreal, and walked off the other way slowly. ' _It seems some things just never change…'_

Ezreal got home and opened up that supercomputer that Ekko had given him the other day. "Straight to work, let's do it!" It took Ezreal nearly five hours, but he grinded himself a profile and a couple abilities that he wanted to test out. He emailed his next professor about his work regimen, and decided to take a small break. Ekko was already asleep, so Ezreal just went out by himself. When he exited the building, he saw Ryze and greeted him.

"What are you up to this late at night, Ezreal?"

Ezreal smiled wide and put his hands behind his back. "Nothing much! I just got done putting in a bunch of hours into this profile for myself. I'm really excited to be able to test it out tomorrow."

"Well, that's really interesting to hear. I have to say, you really seem like you get it. I hate to say it, but I'm most likely going to fail more people early."

Ezreal felt a little concerned, but he nearly brushed it off. "Ah, that really sucks! Anyone in particular?"

"Ahri."

Ezreal now felt a lot more concerned. Not only was she the only girl that Ezreal knew, but she actually liked her. He didn't understand why Ryze was being so sudden, so he grilled him. "Huh? What for!?"

Ryze held out a notecard. "Do you see anything under Ahri's champion profile?"

Ezreal froze there once more. ' _Are you serious? How could she not put anything? Huh, come to think of it she didn't look too good in the afternoon. Then I ditched her for this project…Akali told me that life will give me answers if I seek it, this has to be something similar!'_

He then spoke out. "I think you should reconsider, Professor!"

"Oh?"

"Well, she brings something different to the Academy that I think is pretty good for class diversity! I know she wants to succeed as hard as us."

Ryze laughed to himself. "You can't be serious. Are you already getting a crush on your second day at the Acadmy?"

Ezreal outright rejected Ryze. "N-NOTHING LIKE THAT! I think it'd be good to give it a couple days before kicking her out. You could lose a great champion if you act too quickly."

"Well, it seems you really care for some reason so I will reconsider it. That said, I'm going to count on you to help convince me. I'll give you a couple days to show me something I'm not seeing, is that okay?"

Ezreal felt happy. "Absolutely!"

Ryze closed his book that he had open, and waved at Ezreal as he walked away.

' _Akali…If this is what you meant by giving something time, then it'd better be clear to me what you were saying. Moreover, hang in there, Ahri.'_


	5. Chapter 4 - Savior

**A/N:** Bit of a longer chapter since this took more time to write. Continuous chapters will also be longer than average. Enjoy!

"I have a really long day ahead of me, I don't want to get phased."

When Ezreal woke up, he immediately called Ahri.

"Yo, I hope I didn't wake you up. Listen, I wanna talk to you later tonight about something. I'm pretty busy all day but I can meet up with you later tonight."

Ahri sounded nervous, but she still accepted. "Okay, can I visit your place around 7?"

"Sure. See you then!" Ezreal hung up his cellphone that he was given by Ryze during the first day of Rift Project class. Everyone had the exact same style of phone and only the contacts of the people who were in their class and a part of the faculty at the Champions Academy.

' _Okay, so I have that Marksman mastery class today and I have to report back to Ryze. I guess I might as well head to class.'_

It was still early in the morning, but Ezreal didn't mind that because he loved the aesthetics and natural feel that accompanied him in the land of Ionia. The sun shined so bright in the classical style buildings and he could hear the birds chirping in all directions. "Wow, I really want to explore this place this Summer! I know I'm going to miss it so much when I enter the Rift, but in a different way than now, I suppose."

Ezreal was the only one who came to class that day. He greeted the Professor, who wore a purple officer gown and a tall hat. "Eh, hey there! I'm here for the marksman mastery class! I'm not in the wrong place, am I?

"Nope. I've been expecting you, boy. Sit down there in the front."

"Whoa, you make it sound like I'm trouble haha!"

The Professor took off her hat to reveal her long flowing brown hair and a stern look on her youthful face. "Look, I've known you for a long time. I always thought that there was the off-chance that I'd be teaching you."

Ezreal had finally recognized her. "W-wait, you're…the sheriff of Piltover, aren't you?!"

She held her hand behind her back and sighed. "Can't even remember my name? Your father would be so disappointed."

"Cait…I think?"

"I go by Caitlyn, but feel free to call me Cait." Cait set her long rifle and handcuffs down on her desk and playfully sat on top of Ezreal's desk. "Anyway, let's get to the topic, shall we?"

' _I have the most awkward boner right now…Gah, shut up head! I have to pay attention.'_

 _"Eyes up here, buddy."_ Ezreal nearly fell out of his chair when Caitlyn said this, but he held on barely. "Anyways…This class is a one on one session where I get to evaluate you on a weekly basis. I'll be giving you practice regimes, tips on transitioning into the life of a champion, and evaluating your progress at the end of this semester."

"Oh right! I sent you an email about some of the things I was working on the other day for my Rift project. Did you get a chance to look at that?"

Caitlyn hopped off the desk. "Yes, I did. I must say…" Caitlyn held her hand under Ezreal's head, and stared into his eyes. "I thought you were just a little light-headed as a kid, but you have proven to me that you are the most reckless idiot I've ever encountered."

Ezreal felt insulted. "What?!"

"Your training regimes are not only suicidal, but your idea of what it means to be a Champion is outright disgusting. The Rift, while not 'real,' is not your virtual playground to display your skill. It is the place where you utilize your powers in combination with your teammates in order to achieve victory. In order for you to get through this Academy, you need a great attitude shift."

"Hold on a sec…how do you know me to begin with?"

Caitlyn put back on her hat and sat on her desk. "You really think someone like the Sheriff of Piltover wouldn't know acclaimed 'explorers' like you? It was your father who told me when you were really young that you would cause trouble to my land. Now, you're here seeking to cause trouble to the entire land."

Ezreal slammed his hands on the desk in denial. "What do you really even know about me?!" Ezreal jumped out of his desk and pointed at Caitlyn. "I have dedicated every day of my entire life to join this Academy and become a Champion. I've never been caught doing anything illegal, and I've never even thought about doing my hometown harm."

"While you might not actively think about it, the way that you are attempting to achieve your goals makes your own downfall inevitable."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Caitlyn put her hands on Ezreal's desk, and turned her hat over. "Like I said…your attitude." Caitlyn walked over to her desk, and opened one of her books that revealed a couple key photographs to Ezreal.

' _W-WHAT?!'_

"You see this picture here? This is a picture of your father and I. You were just 5 at this time, but your attitude was the exact same. Do not be mistaken, I know you are a very hard working individual who wants to achieve their dream more than anything. I'm not here to deny you that reality, but prevent a disaster in the making. Your father had told me about how isolated you would make yourself among the children your age and how you would overexert yourself. I really wished that the things he said were just products of your childhood, but it seems you have still not grown up. I became Piltover's Sheriff after the last war between Noxus and Ionia, where I was asked by the Royal Guard of our land if I could protect this land during times of war. The reason that I was transferred to Champions Academy was to fulfill the same goal but now through the Institute of War. That is why I am going to make sure with all of the power in my hand that I do not let you graduate this academy until you change."

Ezreal's anger kept on, but he had to sit back down and give in for now. "I don't wish to resent you, but all the things you say make me wonder whose side you are really on."

"I'M ON YOUR SIDE!" Caitlyn's heart was beating so fast, and she was about to grab her gun and slam it on the floor, but she stopped herself midway. "Hah, it's been a while since I let myself go like that. But yes, I am on your side, Ezreal. I love Piltover more than anything; ever since I was a little girl, I only dreamed of the idea of being useful and protecting my people. I had realized through war that it is the darkest and most gruesome thing in the world. I get chills at night just thinking about the day where I lost my mother. Ever since that day, I had made a promise with my father that I would not watch another precious citizen of Piltover to fall if I have the power to control it."

Ezreal gulped. "Okay, I'll trust you for now."

Caitlyn sighed, and walked back over to her desk once more. "Okay, I'm glad that's over. I'm going to keep this simple for you this week and hopefully I can see some progress by the end of the month. Your first assignment is _to completely redo your Rift Project Profile and do the training exercises that I will send you_. I must admit, it's really weird having to actually _lower_ rather than raise my exercise requirements, but you are much of a different person. I know I won't see immediate results since this is more about you as a person, but I really feel this will help you."

Ezreal grabbed his backpack, and headed out the door. "Okay, I'm leaving then."

' _I know these classes are going to get much harder. I just don't like the feeling that I'm being told that the way I lived my life up to this point was totally wrong. It doesn't make me mad that my life decisions are being questioned, but more on the fact that I really might've messed up somewhere. Regardless, my stubbornness has gotten me to this point and isn't going to leave that easily.'_

It was already noon, and Ezreal had went to get lunch once more. On the way there, he saw Ahri and tried to say hi. "Yo-"

Ahri passed right by him, with tears falling down both sides of her cheek. It was as if Ezreal was a ghost to Ezreal.

"What…was that all about?" Ezreal decided not to pursue the problem for now since he was really hungry and he knew he had a chance to talk to her later anyway. Ezreal quickly ate lunch and went back to his room to try and revamp his profile. When he got there, Ekko had been sleeping once again. Ezreal didn't care, since he still was more concerned about getting to his Champion profile so that he could be done for the day.

' _I wonder what Cait meant when she told me that I have the absolute wrong idea of what it means to be a Champion? My understanding of a Champion is someone who is not only strong, but intelligent. They are swift in battle, and honorable in defeat. They are someone revered by millions for being one of the best in their lands. They shouldn't have to rely on others, because they are champions by themselves, and do not need others nearby to display their power. Why should they rely on each other if they just work for the same goal?'_

This time, Ezreal had spent a lot of time but was barely productive. Rather, he spent a lot more time reflecting on some of the ways that he was acting. "Even Akali had told me that if I take the initiative, then it should be very obvious to me. That being said…" Ezreal thought back to the two times that he didn't go to Ahri when it seemed like she was in need of assistance. "I don't think I've been responsible enough to say that I've done that. I hate having to admit defeat, even to my superiors…but I think I will swallow my pride, even if for one day."

Ezreal texted Ahri, "Hey, are you okay? I saw you at lunch but you didn't respond to me. Please come talk to me whenever you are free, I'll be in my room for most of the day."

Ahri almost texted him back immediately. "Don't worry, it's really not that important."

Ezreal held strong. "I can't rest knowing that I have ignored you so many times."

It took a little while longer this time around, but Ahri texted back, "Okay then, I'll come around in a couple minutes."

' _Alright, I gotta keep my chill! Do I smell good? My hair is still looking fine, right? I didn't make my bed, but maybe a casual look will look more appealing! Where did I leave my wallet?'_

There were two knocks at the door in the next second. "Hey, are you there, Ezreal?"

' _WHAT THE HECK?! WHY IS SHE ALREADY HERE? OKAY, OKAY, CHILL! Chill…I'm a natural at this. right?'_

"Hey, come right in! The door is open."

Ahri entered, looking as just in low of spirits as she was already. She sat down next to Ezreal on his bed and just looked at the floor for a long time until Ezreal had spoken up.

"So you had mastery class today, right? Isn't that with Ryze? How was it?"

Ahri twiddled her thumbs while intentionally avoiding the questions. "Well…it happened…"

"You were upset after something that happened in it, weren't you?!"

"Meh…"

"Come on!" Ezreal was holding Ahri's hand, and kept pushing forward. "I didn't invite you here because I wanted to hear you be all depressed! I'm concerned that you aren't feeling well. I know you don't know many other people here, so that's made me feel really conflicted when I ignore you. Knowing that you must've been so lonely all this time…"

"Why do you care?"

Ezreal felt a little flustered now. "What are you talking about? You're my classmate, of course I ca-"

"NO YOU DON'T!" Ahri revealed her face, which was light red and now filled with tears. "Ryze told me all about you. I thought that you could've been the one person that accepted me for once, but I heard all about how all you care about is just graduating this Academy and living your life outside the care of others."

"Are you serious? Did Ryze really…"

Ahri held up a piece of paper that was familiar to Ezreal.

' _How did she get that?!'_

"Yes, Ryze gave me your notecard from the other day. I asked him about you, since I thought you seemed like a nice guy. He told me that you were his ideal pupil: you did all your tasks with 100% and above effort, but thought relying on others was worthless. You thought that working with others and relying on others was the antithesis of becoming a Champion!"

"You're wrong! I was in a hurry, and just jotted down things."

Ahri hopped off Ezreal's bed, and headed towards the door.

' _Shit, come on…say something you god-damned idiot!'_

Ezreal once more heard Akali in his head. ' _Wandering through a dark cave without a light doesn't matter even if you have a map.'_

Then, he heard Caitlyn in his head. ' _Your training regimes are not only suicidal, but your idea of what it means to be a Champion is outright disgusting...In order for you to get through this Academy, you need a great attitude shift'_

Ezreal jumped off his bed quickly, and placed both of his hands on Ahri's shoulder. "I WANT TO LISTEN TO YOU!"

Ekko rolled over, and opened his eyes. "Hey…keep it down, will you?"

"Shut the hell up, Ekko!" Ezreal shifted his attention back to Ahri. "Ahri, please trust me. There's more to it than you might think."

Ahri crossed her arms, and once more looked to the ground. "Why should I believe you?"

' _Ugh, I always sucked at this part. Should I just say what comes in my mind?'_

"To be honest…You have no reason to trust me. It's true, I'm awful at working with other people, and I ignore you a lot already. So I guess, I'm just asking that you trust in me. I haven't even talked to another girl on this personal of a level in my entire life; you're free to roam through my Academy Phone and my old phone if you don't believe me!"

Ahri lifted her head slightly, and breathed heavily. "It's a long story, Ezreal. Do you really think that you could handle it?" She turned around, while holding her hands together and giving a sort of begging-look face.

' _I can't handle this amount of cuteness at once. This has to be a crime in some areas of Valoran.'_ Ezreal jumped back up on his bed and held his hand out. "I will listen to you, not matter what it is or how long you want to talk."

Ekko put a pillow over his head now and sighed. Ezreal was about to throw something about him, but he hesitated when Ahri got so close to him. "I don't want to disturb your roommate, so I'll try to keep my volume down. I need to get closer to you, if that's okay with you."

Ezreal's eyes were swirling; Ahri's breasts were lodged right against his own chest and he was nearly lying down with Ahri on top of him. He somehow managed to whimper a reply, "Uh…Y-yeah, I mean…er, sure."

Ahri backed out a little bit and leaned against the wall. "It wasn't just what Ryze had told me, but it has a lot to do with who I am as a person. This might sound silly, but the forest is my family. Obviously I had a mother and a father, but I never had met them. I was raised by a pack of foxes and someone else who was also a half-fox half-human. I thought she was my mother, but she denied those claims all the time. Regardless…"

Ahri had started talking about one awful day that she had experienced very long ago.

' _Wake up, young one!'_

 _Ahri was asleep on a long patch of grass right next to where her pack was. It was being overrun by a pack of wolves. Ahri had rubbed her eyes, and woke up to the sight of her pack mother being bitten in the next by a gigantic wolf. She shrieked, and got to her feet._

 _'Run…Ahri…'_

 _'MOM! I CAN'T LEAVE YOU LIKE THIS!'_

 _'You fool; you are the last of your kind. If I fail to protect you, then my sacrifice will mean nothing. Please, run as fast as you can. Just get out of here!'_

 _Ahri shriveled up in a ball. 'But…I have no place to go…'_

 _'JUST…RUN! GYAHHHHHHHH'_

 _'Mom…' Ahri couldn't feel her face, but she somehow mustered up the strength to run and get away from the wolves. She didn't want to look back, because the sight of her pack-mother would've just killed her inside. She hid in a tree, and stood near the top for what seemed like days for Ahri._

 _It took a very long time, but a rescue crew from Ionia came searching for her._

 _'Sir, the Nine-Tailed Fox is in my sights. It's just right up there.'_

 _Before she knew it, she was being taken in the hands by a big Ionian man. She felt the warmth of a fire near her, and was being fed mildly hot soup._

 _'What should we do, sir?'_

 _'Domesticating her is a dangerous idea, Jirou. Do you not remember the Ancient Tale of the Nine-Tailed Demon that had ravaged our land in the past? She is surely a blood-relative of the beast!'_

 _The soldier that was holding her had now held her even tighter. 'She's a mere child, you fool! She deserves someone to protect her. There is no guarantee she will be safe back in the Wild.'_

 _'Look, our mission was to find the Nine-Tailed Fox and ensure short term safety, nothing more.'_

 _'Then leave…' Thus, the rest of the rescue crew except for the one who rescued Ahri had left. Jirou had taken her back to his house and given her clothes and food. For once in her life, Ahri had these feelings of affection and attachment for humans. The only times that Ahri had come into contact with humans in the past were from being hunted, so she grew resentment for humans for most of her life. The only human that she felt a connection to was this man who had saved her, and yet more shocking events had awaited her._

 _Just a few months later, their small house on the northern outskirts of Ionia had been broken into by the 31_ _st_ _Warrior Faction of Ionia. Jirou was pinned against the wall by two soldiers, while they were shouting about how he was a traitor for letting a demon enter Ionia. Ahri was taken away from him that day, and thrown back into the forest. Since that day, Ahri could not find another residence nearby on the entire island of Ionia. That day approximately 14 years ago was the last day that she was in Ionia since the day that she came into the Champions Academy.'_

Ezreal felt confused. "So, if you didn't get an education as a child, how did the Institute or the Champions Academy hear about you?"

"The man who protected me had begged for my protection, but I couldn't be taken into foster home or any central part of Ionia because I would be life threatening. He went straight to Terrence Ivanci, who promised to give me an opportunity to prove my worth to Ionia. I remember seeing my savior for the first time in that long 14 years, and my cold heart refused to accept him. I gave him a nasty scar and almost killed him in the process, but he truly loved me and wanted to see me protected. All I could ask him was, 'Why me? Why do you care about me so much?'"

 _After Jirou took Ahri, who was still kicking and screaming relentlessly, Jirou had met with the President of the Institute of War, Terrence Ivanci._

 _Jirou held out his sword toward Ivanci as soon as he saw him._ ' _Ivanci…You are a noble teacher of mine, and you claim to be a man who seeks to ensure the integrity of all those in this land. We don't want to see destruction anymore, yet we ignore the suffering of people such as this girl. If you refuse her, I swear on my grave that I will kill you.'_

"I think I know why…" Ahri's eyes and ears perked up when she heard Ezreal say this. "You are really unique, Ahri. While others might see you as a demon, I see you as a really beautiful girl who wants to be accepted by other humans and people alike. I see someone who strives hard to be accepted; that someone who just wanted to know that she was in the thoughts of someone else for once in her life."

"Ezreal…" Ahri wasn't crying, and she was holding it in very well up until this point where she let it all out. "To Ionians, I am no different than those wolves who slaughtered my kind. I've never done anything to be accepted by Jirou…to be accepted by you…I don't even know what my purpose is…I am utterly worthless."

"You are not!" Ezreal sat up straight and started looking deep into Ahri's eyes, which were still filled with tears from both sides. "Those people have no idea who you are! When Jirou saved you that day, he knew that you were defenseless and couldn't hurt you. You were taken away from his arms, and he still fought for you after all that time. Do you really think a high ranking Ionian official like Jirou is completely insane?! He saved you because he knew how important you are, and that you deserve better than what those people were saying! Even if you don't believe that I care that you're here, you should at least believe in the one man who fought for your sake." Ezreal's heart was pounding harder and harder, and he couldn't believe that he was saying half of the words that were coming out of his mouth. He had never in his entire life had to console someone, but in this moment it just felt natural to him. He wrapped his arms around Ahri tightly, and said, "I'm so sorry, I can't begin to figure out how to console you or tell how you should feel. So I guess for now, I just want to ask you to believe in hope…hope for the future and hope for who you wish to be."

Ahri managed to crack a smile somehow, and she began laughing a little. "You're a weird one, you know that?"

Ezreal finally fell back to earth, and stopped touching Ahri. He fell back on his back and awkwardly laughed. "My mom used to tell me that all the time, haha. I dunno, I guess I've just always thought there was always something good about someone, no matter who they were." Ezreal saw Ahri smiling even more, and even stopped crying. Now, he had no idea what to say, so he just threw out some things that were on his mind. "But yeah, Ryze doesn't know jack about you anyway! For an old geezer like him, you have to give him up-front kind of results for him to be interested in you. If you ever need help, I'm always here!"

Ahri hugged Ezreal. "It's not much, but thank you…for helping me learn to trust."

Ezreal laughed awkwardly once more. ' _Oh god, the cuteness is coming back out.'_

"It's getting pretty late; do you need me to walk you out?"

Ahri jumped off his bed and opened the door, leaving what seemed like a hint of embarrassment on her face. "Well, I kind of like walking home myself. You wouldn't like to waste time walking with me or anything...i'm always off gazing at flowers and things, really stupid stuff, hahaha. Ah, well I'll see you next class I guess!"

"Y-Yeah, take care." Ezreal sighed as it ended, wishing that he could've been more courageous and said more enlightening things, but he still couldn't believe that their conversation ended well. "That was so bizarre. Is that what people meant when they said women seem like they're from a totally different planet?"

"Are you two dating?" Ezreal turned his head to see Ekko at his desk with his headphones in. "I tuned out your conversation at the beginning so that I could get back to work. It seemed like she was into you but you just kinda did nothing. What's up with that?"

"Gah, shut up! It's nothing, really…"

"I'm not trying to poke fun or anything. I really do think she likes you, Ez. But hey, if that's not your thing I get it."

Ezreal realized that he left his watch in one of his old pockets in pants that he put away. "What time is it?"

Ekko had jumped out of his desk and put on his coat. "It's 3 now. You said you needed to talk with Ryze, right? I think his last class just ended. I just got done with my profile so I was gonna go talk to him too. Wanna come with?"

"Huh, I guess so." Ezreal and Ekko left just a few minutes later, and saw Ryze as he was packing up all his stuff on the outside.

"Ah, if it isn't Ezreal and Ekko! What brings both of you here?"

Ezreal stepped up first. "Well, Professor…I think I finally can tell you why you shouldn't expel Ahri."

"Ahah, I was just thinking you were going to talk about that. Here, come in my office on the inside." He guided them to his office, with two large scrolls with the official inscriptions of his time as a Champion and Instructor at the Champions Academy. The walls were filled with pictures of him on the Rift, the Institute of War, the Proving Grounds with his respective class, and having drinks with Terrence Ivanci. Ryze was one of the oldest Champions who had graduated from the Academy and were still alive. Ryze was the only person from that graduating class that decided they wanted anything to do with the Institute of War, since he thought that it could shape the world in a new and unique way. To the rest of his class, they thought the Institute of War would just corrupt people around it and turn to war. People like Ezreal and Ekko have heard so many old war stories of Ryze being miles ahead of the opposition, regardless of his aging self.

"This place always makes me feel at home, but I can't say I don't miss my times on the Rift. It was something so strong and compelling, but as I start to age, I really care more for sharing that experience with talented and young individuals now. So please, do tell me why I should reconsider keeping your _friend_ in my Institute."

"It's what Jirou would have wanted." Ezreal didn't know Ryze and Jirou's history too much, but he was sure that it would stir up some conversation by throwing his name out.

Ryze put his glasses down and started rubbing his eyes. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in ages…You know, I used to really enjoy Jirou's company. I don't know how you know about Jirou, if you do, but you do realize he is being held captive by the Institute now, right?"

"WHAT?!"

"So I guess you don't know. Hmph, I don't know how to be more straightforward, but yes I realize he has had a high influence in getting that Fox girl into my institute. However-"

"Excuse me?" Suddenly, another old man came into the room and put his hands on the hinges of the door as he peeked in. That man was Terrence Ivanci. "You just called this…your institute?"

"S-Sir, I meant no wrong!" Ezreal wanted to turn around, knowing the legendary President of the Institute of War was just standing right behind him, but he knew that his inner fanboy would startle him too much. Terrence laughed, and had walked out, saying, "Don't forget the sacrifices that I make for you every day, my friend."

It was silent for a good while, but Ryze put back on his glasses and coughed a couple times before he resumed the conversation. "I can see where you might be going…well, with your Jirou comment. I just wanted to inform you he is captive for threatening to assassinate Terrence. That said, Terrence actually thought nearly nothing of it and thought it was the least he could do for someone who swore their life to the sword in defense of this ancient land. I have a very traditional outlook on how things should work, and if Terrence was not here to keep me in line…Sometimes I think I might actually drive this place into the ground, haha." Ryze coughed a couple more times and started to stand up while looking at some old pictures behind him. "Well, I don't think I need to keep you that much more. To be honest, this was more of a personal reflection than a reflection on your part, my boy. I want to believe in Jirou, and I want to believe in you, so I will entrust in you to continue to prove to me in the future that she is a useful asset as the rest of you have proven to be."

"Thank you so much Sir! You will not regret this decision!" Ezreal walked out, and Ekko had stepped inside.

Before Ezreal left, Ekko grabbed his shoulder. "Yo, Ez. Going on a bit of a trip with some of the people in our 4A class tomorrow. You in?"

Ezreal thought that he might as well, since he knew that the classwork was really light and he might meet some new interesting people. "I guess so."

"Aight, I'll wake you up early tomorrow!"

Ezreal laughed at the thought of Ekko getting up earlier since he was such a slouch the entire week. Ezreal walked home by himself, thinking to himself about what Ahri had told him.

' _Ahri was wrong about one thing, though. My entire life, I've been locked in places like this room and just working non-stop. It didn't occur to me how beautiful this world was until I finally came here, only to go straight back to working. I know now that those little things…I want to do those, and I want to share that with someone else.'_


	6. Chapter 5 - Break time

The morning was always so peaceful and lovely in Ionia. The sun shined bright onto the buildings in the prestigious Champions Academy while the birds chirped beautifully just on the offsets of the campus. Ezreal wanted to make his first weekend in his new home a fun and adventurous experience, so he had to get up early when all of Ekko's alarm clocks rang loud at 7. He threw on some regular clothes and was rushed out of the building all the way to what seemed like a large mountain range. Soon, both Ekko and Ezreal were joined by a lot of familiar faces.

"It's about time." Akali was the first one to find their way to them, and a lot of other students had also joined them.

' _This is starting to feel more like a circus than a group meet up to be honest…'_ Ezreal nearly dozed off, but he was greeted by Jayce slapping his back playfully.

"Don't falter just yet, kid." He smiled and walked to the rest of the group. "So, what are the initial plans for today everyone?"

Ekko opened up his phone to check his notes. "For now, I just thought we could all introduce ourselves since a lot of us don't know each other. I guess I'll start…my name is Ekko, and I am a big tech guy from Zaun. I've invented a lot of nifty gadgets and want to become the smartest Champion to graduate from this Academy."

Jayce commented first, "Looks like I'm going to have some competition, haha!"

Ekko grudged, and said, "That was a joke, right?" Ekko was very unaware when people were being sarcastic, and tended to only show his serious side most of the time when he was around other people. This lead to a lot of people thinking that he was too hot-headed for his own good. Jayce shrugged off what Ekko said and introduced himself next.

"Alright everyone, listen up because I know you will be hearing my name in the future. I am Jayce, a scientist in the making from Piltover. My dream is to rid the world of ignorance and create a perfect world where individuals can freely interact with each other. To be honest, I call it a dream but it seems almost trivial to describe this way. Rather…" Jayce walked up to Lux and held her hands in his. "To be able to hold a beautiful girl's hands and be with her every day is something that I would call a dream."

Even though Lux felt closer to Ezreal, she couldn't help but also feel nervous in front of Jayce. In fact, Jayce had girls swooning over him his entire life, so this was more of an expectation than something that he enjoyed thoroughly. All the guys in the group just shrugged and looked the other way in Jealousy. Ezreal didn't care so much about how appealing he was to girls, because the only thing that he could think of when seeing Jayce was how he treated Ahri.

' _Even I know that's not how you treat a girl. What a waste of potential.'_

Lux was still frozen in the moment, but decided that she might as well introduce herself. "Oh, hello everyone! I'm Luxanna from the great land of Demacia, please do call me Lux! I'm here to prove that women are just as strong at mastering magic and spells. My dream…hmmm, I guess I have a lot of dreams! I like to think that every day opens up a new path for a new dream. For example, I'm just starting my current dream of becoming a Champion, but a dream I've had for a while is to marry my best friend!" Lux blushed and put her hands on her cheeks while laughing. Out of the people who were there in that group, none of them knew Lux and Ezreal enough to know who she was talking about, but Ezreal's reaction almost made it too obvious. Still, no one said anything and just laughed to themselves.

"I guess I'll go next! How's it hanging, everyone?" The next girl was so full of energy and excitement, and wore some bright and cute clothing even for a teenage girl. "I'm Riven, and I'm a mercenary from Noxus. I've been in training to become a Champion for so long in my land, because strength is honored above all, but really I'd love nothing more than to just settle down and have some fun while I'm here! My dream is to become a General for the Institute of War."

When Riven opened her eyes from laughing, she noticed everyone felt chills from everything she said. Ezreal whimpered, "N-Noxus…Mercenary…"

"Oh, you guys are silly! It's a family biz thing, I didn't really have a choice. Don't think that just because I'm from Noxus that I can't have a girly side, now!" Riven's demeanor was so similar to Ezreal; she stood crooked with her hands behind her back and a long face on her face. However, this made Riven feel even more suspicious since Noxus was known for creating deadly warriors and people who commit their life to the sword. It felt so unnatural for someone so uncharacteristic of Noxus to come to the Champions Academy.

"Hmph, you seem like a strong one, but I know that I shall pass you along with the rest of everyone here in due time!" The next person stepped up, and he was jacked to the max. He was a bit shorter than Jayce, and his face made him seem like he was in a constant state of aggression. He moved like a soldier and talked as if he meant everything he said. "Ahem, listen up everyone. We're here to fight each other for very limited spots into the Institute of War, so don't think for a moment that people who you are making friends with really care about you as they say. Before too long, you will feel the pain of defeat as everyone here turns around and reaches for the pedestal. Regardless…My name is Atreus, but my people call me Pantheon. To be quite honest, my dream is to destroy the Institute of War."

Jayce felt slightly disturbed. "Say what?!"

"You heard me, pretty boy," Pantheon grunted. "When you people think of dreams, you wish to try and live in an imaginary world of wonder. From how I grew up, we had to live as if tomorrow is not promised; that is why I am as strong as I am now. The Institute of War is a mockery to war and people of my kind, therefore I want to see the Institute of War crash and burn. I do want to become a Champion so that I may see what it looks like on the inside, but I am not interested in becoming an icon for the Institute of War."

"Unlikely." Akali had stepped up to Pantheon and removed her mask. "You talk a big game, but you don't really mean the things you say."

Pantheon held out both his fists. "You dare question my fortitude?!"

"I apologize; I don't wish to fight here. I don't want to embarrass you in front of the class."

"Hmph, tough words." Pantheon threw his fist at Akali. "LET'S SEE HOW TOUGH THOSE WORDS ARE!"

Akali caught Pantheon's punch, and threw him to the ground in front of him. She stepped on Pantheon's chest with one foot, and said, "Your move, Atreus."

Pantheon coughed up a little blood, and tapped out. ' _Shit, I knew that was going to happen. I don't want to mess with Ionian girls…not after the last one.'_

"Now then, I want to get this day going so I'll speed up the introductions. I am Akali of the Kinkou Order of Ionia. It is my humble wish that we all get along here and succeed together. Pleased to meet you all." She bowed to the crowd, and brought up Ezreal to where she was. "This is Ezreal, he's not much special but he thinks very highly of himself."

"Hey, what gives?!" Ezreal tried to get away from Akali, but her grip was tight around Ezreal's hands.

"What he means to say is that he is pleased to meet you all as well. Can we get going now? I have a meeting with my mother in two hours."

"Are we really like that to you, Akali?" Ezreal took his hands back while he was rubbing the strain that Akali put on them. "I know you're basically royalty and all, but you can at least come down to earth when you're around us, can't you?"

Akali turned from Ezreal, and silently said, " _I wish…I really do…_ "

' _What was that? I could've sworn Akali said something.'_

Akali coughed and laughed slightly. "I was born this way, Piltover boy. I can't help but be formal in all occasions."

Ekko grinned and opened back up his phone. "Well, now that's done with, let's do some exploring! Some of the guys and I were gonna do rock climbing, I know you girls don't like breaking nails and shit so I already-"

"YAHOOOOO!" Riven was already half way up the mountain that stood behind the ground, and she stuck out her tongue to Ekko and the rest. "This land belongs to all of us, nerd!"

Ezreal and the rest laughed and joined Riven in climbing up the mountain. It wasn't quite the largest one in Ionia, but it overlooked the Champions Academy and also gave a great view of the land as well. Ezreal lagged behind a lot of people, and noticed most of the other people were really just competing with each other.

"Do warriors like your kind flail this easily, Atreus?!" Jayce laughed as he hung right above Pantheon.

"Don't push your luck, scientist!" Pantheon immediately climbed faster after Jayce, and Ezreal was just hanging down the halfway point by himself. He was in awe of everything around him. He looked down for a split second and almost fell out of fear, so he desperately climbed higher and higher until he reached the last point. He breathed heavily, and lodged his body on the top of the mountain.

Akali stood above him and extended her hand. "You okay there, Ez?" Before Ez could accept her hand, Lux came over and pushed Akali to the side.

"Let's do some more exploring together, Ez!"

Akali laughed a little, and said, "Do you really care that much for this girl, Ezreal?"

"What are you talking about?!" Lux blurted out instantly. "I'm basically his second mother, he doesn't get a choice in this!"

"Uh…" Ezreal just drifted in thought about how he felt about Lux. It was definitely something special that he felt toward Lux, but it wasn't the same as love. It almost felt like Lux was a sister to Ezreal rather than a mother, since Ezreal was an only child. "We're cool, I guess…"

Lux shouted, "YOU GUESS?! HAS THIS GIRL STOLEN YOU FROM ME?"

Ezreal replied, "N-No!"

Akali grabbed Ezreal's hand. "I probably wouldn't have to try hard to take him from you, though. It's clear that he prefers a finer taste in women."

"Is this true, Ezreal?" Lux changed her expression from hopeless anger to a bit more serious and sorrowful.

' _It's not that I don't like you, Lux. You really are my best friend, and have gone on some really interesting journeys with me. It's odd that I don't feel as connected to you, I guess. Ugh, what am I supposed to say?!'_

Ezreal just said what was on his mind. "Maybe if you weren't flat…"

Akali slapped Ezreal and stared into his eyes. "I didn't take you for the womanizing type. To be honest, I was just testing how you would respond. But…"

Akali looked over to see Lux, who had her head down but randomly burst out laughing. "…Huh?"

"You're such a dork, Ezreal! I swear you're so awkward around women that half the things going through you are breasts. It's so cute!"

Akali was so confused. In her time in Ionia, she had only been told that she was beautiful by other men. Akali didn't know what it felt like to have such a mysterious type of relationship that didn't revolve around love.

Ezreal scratched his head and laughed with Lux. "Heh, we should get going! I don't want to fall behind on my adventure, you know!" He grabbed Lux's hand, and signaled over to Akali that they should meet up with the group.

Lux held his hand tight. ' _We haven't been this close since that one summer when we were kids. It was so hot out in Demacia, and all the major shops were closed for the weekend. I remember your parents were having a business meeting with my Father, and you awkwardly came up to me and asked…_

 _"Do you like adventures?"_

 _I smiled, saying, "Well, I don't really get to go out of my place a lot except for the Town Square."_

 _Then, you grabbed my hand, with that brave and shining smile of yours, and you told me, "Let's adventure around this world, together!"_

 _It might take a long time for you to realize how you awoke me that day. You tried to show me around Demacia as if it was your own land. You seemed so excited to just go out and walk around aimlessly, so long as it was in the spirit of adventure. No matter how long it takes, my heart will continue to reside right by you, Ezreal. I really…no, I absolutely adore you.'_

The group set up camp around a small lake on the other side of the mountain, as they watched over the beautiful landscape of Ionia.

Ezreal laid down on the grass while looking forward. "This place really just gets better every day!"

The guys had set up their own camp, while Lux and Riven just kept on looking around the place. Akali had decided to leave early, since she was mostly just interested in seeing what everyone was up to.

Ekko tapped on Ezreal's head. "Hey, are you dating Lux?"

Ezreal scoffed, and got up to his feet. "What is your fascination with me and my love life? I just got here the other day, I don't really have anyone in particular that I'd say I love. Lux is a good childhood friend of mine, and not much more."

Jayce was sitting down, and he looked like he was meditating. He was really just glancing over at Pantheon, who kept on stumbling while trying to sit perfectly still. "I'm pretty sure that Ahri girl is where you'd rather traverse, am I right?"

"I mean, she's gorgeous for sure. But…"

Ekko, Pantheon, and Jayce laughed in unison. Ekko laid down on a log and "You totally want her dude, we get it! You're a lucky guy."

Ezreal scoffed. "It's that obvious?"

Jayce agreed. "It seems so. I could tell by the way that she looks at you that there's a connection there. Why, I'm not really sure…I don't think science can explain this one."

Ekko kept on digging deeper into Ezreal's head. "You didn't do anything that other day when I was there, I was actually really surprised. I just pretended on going to sleep assuming that you were going to smash her."

Ezreal felt a little annoyed, but he did think back to how he felt when Ahri was around her that day. It was one of the first times that he was really pouring himself out for a girl, and he couldn't help but feel so nervous even just remembering it. "I'm not a tool like you. I'd rather be a little more expressive for her in how I feel, but I'm not sure what to do. I haven't really gotten this far?"

Pantheon rolled over after not being able to sit still. "I won't be of much assistance; the only lust I have is for the fear in my enemy's eyes."

Jayce shook his head and sighed. "Sometimes I don't know how to react to anything you said, especially after how bad you got whooped earlier."

Pantheon flailed his arms in anger. "GAH, THAT WAS ONE OFF!"

Jayce glanced over at Ezreal again. "Just ask her out, and see where it goes. Your heart will do the talking, even if you think that you don't possess the power to be brave."

"Why are you being nice all of the sudden, Jayce? Don't think I'm forgetting about how you were to her!"

"I think you just got the wrong idea, honestly." Jayce stood back up and brushed off his pants. "Did Ryze ever tell you any of those stories of the failures that graduated?"

"Huh?"

"I see…" Jayce felt cold just thinking about how rough the life of those graduates were. "I don't want to talk about it too much, but I assure you I was just trying to look out for her. I could tell she felt as if she didn't belong, therefore I thought it might be sound advice. I won't try to beat around the bush with anyone."

"Is that so…" Ezreal felt a little bit lighter around Jayce, but still didn't trust him. That said, he got up and thought about what he said. "I can't say for sure if I'm ready to ask someone out, but I'll see if I can manage something. I'm still going to put my work and my dedication to becoming a Champion first, but this might be a new interesting chapter of my life."

Ezreal walked over to the edge of the mountain on the other side, and saw Riven running around with Lux.

' _She's so unique, that Luxanna. I can't say she's similar to any other girl I've met…well, that might also be that I don't know many girls. But, something about her makes me feel at home. Yet, I still feel as if there's something so different that I'm feeling with Ahri. Truth be told, even I can't map out my next directions…'_


	7. Chapter 6 - Memories

**A/N:** Hi everyone, this chapter is going to be mostly a bit of a blast from the past with Ezreal and Lux. I made a small error in the beginning by saying that Lux and Ezreal were previous classmates, so I'm clarifying with this chapter on what their past looks like. I hope you all enjoy it!

No matter how hard you try, you cannot escape your past. Whether it is filled with enjoyable memories or terrifying nightmares, it will stick with you for the rest of your life. When Ezreal was in school before he entered the Champions Academy, he would often lose hundreds of hours of sleep just continually pouring work into his training and dedication to become a champion. This made him susceptible to bullying because he couldn't carry the physical strength to even fight back. Ezreal subconsciously ignored it for the longest time, hiding his emotions behind the statement, ' _I don't care what other people think. I hate all of them, and I will show them how strong I am in the future.'_

It wasn't always the same for Ezreal, however. He used to be very cheerful and fun as a kid, but that changed as he grew older and really only cared about becoming a champion. Once he had graduated from his older school, his parents had to make some serious contemplation on what they were going to do with him. Ezreal wasn't troublesome or disobedient to his parents, but they knew that something bad would happen to him if he stayed the way that he did. They really just wanted to see their playful little boy come back to them. A moment that they remember so well in their history with Ezreal was how he used to get along with kids from other nations, because he never saw them as a threat. One in particular was Luxanna from Demacia, whom he had met when Ezreal's parents took them to meet Luxanna's parents and the Demacia Royal Guard.

They decided very early in Ezreal's senior year at his previous school to get in contact with them once again and have Lux visit Ezreal. This was an extremely hard task, because Lux had lots of work obligations since she was royalty, but they managed to pull it off. Ezreal would occasionally leave school early because he got all his work done and there was no point of staying when no one wanted, so he left after lunch on the day that his parents had invited over Lux. When Ezreal came home and went to open the door, he was tapped softly on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, you're Ezreal, aren't you?"

Ezreal didn't turn around, but the voice sounded familiar. "To whom does it concern?"

"Your girlfriend!" Ezreal turned slightly, and saw Lux who was smiling ever so brightly right. "Just kidding, hahaha. Don't you remember me?"

Ezreal just barely managed to crack a smile. "Of course I do, Lux. But, what are you doing here?"

Lux just walked around and took some time to notice the surroundings. "It's beautiful here, don't you think?"

Ezreal scratched his head. "Huh?"

Lux took his hand and ran towards the open. "Come on, I don't have all day you know!" Lux was laughing so happily as she took Ezreal out into the open, not knowing where they were going but still enjoying her time. Ezreal felt so rushed, but he decided to just let it happen and hoped for the best. Both of them ran out of breath and sat under a big tree.

"Hey, what's the meaning of this, Lux? You should be back in Demacia focusing on your own life."

Lux closed her eyes and stood up as she managed to catch her breath. "You're absolutely right, but I think you taught me very well that life is more than just that. I've been hearing lately from your folks that you've lost that cheerful and adventurous side to you. What happened to you, Ezreal?"

Once Ezreal had figured out why she was really here, he began to show a lot of disinterest. "Oh, figures. They know nothing about me…"

Lux sat down next to Ezreal. "I think I know something about you, and right now you really do seem a bit different from that time that we met."

Ezreal didn't look up, he just sat glumly and didn't even look at Lux. "Nothing else matters to me besides entering the Champions Academy and solidifying my status as the best marksman. I could care less if anyone thinks less of me."

"But that's not you!"

"What do you even know about me?"

"I might not know much…" Lux put her hand on Ezreal's shoulder. "But I can say for sure that I know you just aren't you right now. You're nice, you're adventurous, and you make other people around you smile. I know this for sure because of how you made me feel that day."

"I'm just not like that anymo-" Before Ezreal could finish his sentence, Lux got him to his feet and started dragging him out into the open once more. Lux didn't even look the slightest distraught; she just kept on smiling and running all the way outside of the small town of Piltover. They ran so much that they ran into the mountains, and Lux insisted that they climb to the top. Ezreal wasn't too winded, but Lux immediately fell on the ground once they reached the top.

"Gah, I can't take another step. I might've overdone it hahaha."

Ezreal sat next to Lux, and looked below them as he saw the fog that traveled over the heights of Piltover and Zaun. "Incredible." Immediately, Ezreal took a look at his watch and noticed that it was incredibly late. "Ugh, I have to get home to cook dinner tonight." He got up and dusted off his clothes from all the gravel and ash around the top of the mountain, but he looked behind himself to see Lux sleeping.

"…Seriously?"

Even though Ezreal wasn't in the mood for nonsense, he was entranced by Lux's sleeping image. She was so peaceful and beautiful that he just stood there and stared for a few minutes. "What am I supposed to do with her? I can't walk all the way to Demacia.

Ezreal thought to himself for quite a bit. Since he didn't want her to get hurt or lost on the way back home, he finally gave in.

"I guess I'll have to carry her back to my house." Ezreal held up her shoulders and put Lux on her back. Her hair was so long flowing that it came over Ezreal's shoulder and tickled his ears. Lux was a small girl, but it was still hard for Ezreal to carry her all the way from the mountains to his house.

On the way back, he got to really enjoy the nature a lot more than on his first run to the mountains. "This is the most walking I've had to do in so long. This is also the farthest that I've gotten from my place in so long. When Lux told me that I made her feel so different that one day…I wonder if it's what I'm feeling right now. This feeling inside of me that I want to go back to how things used to be, and start looking around the world for places similar to this. Come to think of it, visiting Demacia was at the peak of my adventurous attitude before I started to grind so hard in my work to become a Champion. I always felt that this is really all that mattered, but…I wish to have fun on the way like I am having now."

From this point on, he started to be more mindful of how he felt and acted until he joined the Champions Academy. He knew that his goal to become a champion and visiting the depths of the world around him could still coincide together so long as he was prudent about his work.

Once he got back, it was already so late and he was too exhausted. His mother greeted him at the door.

"Welcome back home, Ez."

Ezreal was so burned out that he could barely speak. He muttered, "M-Ma, she needs…some rest…"

"It's okay dear, Lux told us everything already. You get some rest and we'll sort out the rest."

Ezreal gave over Lux to his mother, and barely managed to make it to his bed before he collapsed on top of his covers and fell asleep.

 _'Thank you…Lux…'_

Jumping back to the present time, Ezreal woke up to see Lux's backside and the feel of him floating through the air. "…Huh?"

Lux looked at Ezreal and smiled. "Yo, what' up sleepy head?"

Ezreal felt pain from his head, and yawned. "I fell asleep on that mountain?"

Lux giggled. "It was so cute; you were trying to sleep with your head on the rock but you kept rolling around like a baby. I thought it would be nice to return the favor and carry you on my back for once. It's really harder than I thought, haha!"

 _'That felt like it was so long ago, but it was a little less than a year ago. From the first time we had met, we have really only seen each other a few times, but each time felt special in and of themselves.'_

"I guess some things just don't change, eh?"

Lux smiled once more. "Nope! I wouldn't want it any different!"

It took a bit longer than usual, and it was mostly silent on the way there, but Lux finally dropped off Ezreal in his room.

"Thanks again, Lux."

"Don't mention it, just doing a favor for an ol' friend."

Ezreal knew it was still early in the afternoon, but he just felt like sleeping as if it was the first time when he dropped off Lux at his house. Lux had left him just after that, and Ekko was still out with Jayce and Pantheon so he could just rest there in peace.

' _Since that day, I've still had non-stop work even though my entire attitude and outlook has changed. I tried to get more sleep and be a bit more open to people around me, but ultimately it's up to me to change who I am. I'm just glad to say that I've already shared some pretty awesome memories, and with someone as great as Lux. In the future, no matter who it is, I want to share these kind of memories with them…together._ '


	8. Chapter 7 - Blossoming Love

The day was coming to a halt very shortly, but Ezreal had finally woken up from his slumber. This was one of the first days that Ezreal had taken off entirely from work, but he still felt a need to go back to his work once he woke up. Ekko had finally gotten back and he went to sleep instantly.

Ezreal asked him, "Hey Ekko, have you done much work on your profile?"

"Nah, but I already know what could possibly fit me. I just want some sleep right now."

"Ah, I see. I'm so close on finishing mine!"

Ekko jumped on his bed after taking off his shoes and his jacket, and said, "Don't get too caught up in it. This is one of those projects that just takes time."

Ezreal thought about all the other major projects that he had to complete in his past life, and he essentially did the same thing that he was doing here. He got it done really quickly with a lot of concerted effort, but he kept trying to change it over and over based on small details that not many people pay attention too. For him, it would feel almost wrong to just give a project as big as this more time when it was all he could think about most of the time. While he didn't understand Ekko's way of thinking, he decided that it was better to just get some sleep and think about it later. He turned his head, and almost instantly fell back to sleep.

' _I remember that my goal I initially set before coming here was to try and challenge myself every day, I wonder if changing how I approach this could be a new challenge. Whatever the circumstance may be, my next challenge ahead of me is figuring out how to ask out Ahri…'_

Now when Ezreal woke up, all he could think about was Ahri. She was so interesting to him, not only because she was half fox but because it almost felt like she is a little girl that is growing up ever so slightly every day. She has a strong heart and longs to be accepted by the people around her, which makes her stand out to Ezreal. Most if not all the girls that Ezreal had met before almost fit very specific roles that he would typically assign to women – there is the clingy types, the smart types, the independent types, and the average types. Ahri couldn't fit any one of these, because she was seemingly independent but lacked confidence in herself so she needed at least one person by her side to tell her that she could do it. At the same time, she wouldn't cling to people like Ezreal for advice on what to do, and she was obviously not anywhere close to average in every single area.

Ezreal decided that he would just be straight forward, and he texted Ahri on his Academy phone.

"Hey Ahri! I hope it's not too early for you, but I kind of wanted to talk to you about some school stuff. Wanna meet in front of Runaan's Hall?"

It took a decent while, but Ahri replied, "Sure!"

Ezreal didn't take his computer with him, because he subconsciously knew that he wasn't going out so that he could just work on his project more. Rather, he wanted to start on a new journey and get a feel for what it was like on the outside all this time. If this were to really happen, it would be the first time that he had gone on a date with a girl. It came with a lot of spite from Ezreal since he wasn't exactly the assertive type of personality, and he thought that guys were supposed to be the one to do everything on dates. Ezreal did like the feeling of being fully in control of things around him, but he wasn't sure how to deal with women; he secretly wished that he could find a girl at some point in his life that would do most of the work for Ezreal so that he didn't have to go through such hardships figuring out how he was supposed to socialize and develop an almost new type of personality for himself.

Ezreal was actually not the first one there; Ahri was just scrolling through her phone while Ezreal walked up to her. "Hey, why weren't you at that group activity yesterday?"

Ahri smiled and tilted her head slightly. "What group activity?"

"Are you serious, that idiot Ekko didn't even tell you?!"

Ahri gave a strange look on her face as if she was obstructing the truth, but she playfully knocked her head and said, "I don't think so at least."

Ezreal shrugged it off, and attempted to continue forwarding the conversation. "Well, you don't need to worry about it too much. We just met with most of the people in our class and traveled around Ionia. I kind of wish you were there just because it looked like everyone was having so much fun!"

Ahri smiled at him, again giving a look of confusion to Ezreal. Still, she was as adorable as he first met her. It was hard for Ezreal to even think that he managed to make friends with someone so beautiful, considering his lack of experience with talking to women. "So, what's up?"

Ezreal put his hands behind his head and tried to play it off. "Ah, well I wanted to talk about some school stuff!"

"That's…all?"

"Oh, err…" Ezreal started scratching his head, as he continued to beat around the bush.

' _Well damn, I never got past this situation! I wonder if there's a way that I can sort of hint towards it without giving it away…hmmm…'_

"I figured that, y'know, friends kind of talk about some fun stuff once in a while and they also do stuff with each other on the weekends, and…"

Ahri just gave the blankest look of confusion at this point. "Is this the Morse code that I've heard of, where it's like a message within a message?"

' _Gah, to hell with it. I HAVE TO TRY AT LEAST ONCE!'_

Ezreal aggressively held in his breath, and looked over slightly to the right of Ahri, and he said, "WILL YOU GO ON A DATE WITH ME?" Ezreal's face lost almost all it's color, and his nervousness was just pouring out of himself through his reactions and his body language.

Ahri, still looking slightly confused, said, "Oh, was that it? You should've just said so! Of course I'll go on a date with you!"

Ezreal gave a huge sigh of relief, and offered his hand. "Alright, well I was hoping we could go to that new park that Ionia just built, it's only a half mile off from the Academy!"

Ahri nodded. "Sounds like fun!"

Ezreal grabbed Ahri's soft and delicate fingers, and walked down the path that led to the Ionian Park. They didn't talk much on the way because Ezreal was still unsure of what to say, but suddenly Ahri put her other hand on Ezreal's shoulder and said, "Hey, I don't want you to feel pressured around me. It gives me sort of bad vibes, since I don't put a lot of trust in many humans. Just be yourself!"

"Ah, yeah of course!"

That statement from Ahri put a lot less pressure for Ezreal to do anything that would be a-typical or normal for other people who were going on dates, so he just acted like his old confident and cocky self for the time being.

"Just think about it, Ahri…In about a year or so, however long it takes for my followers to appreciate my brilliance, you'll be walking down this road and see statues erected of me in my honor for gracing this Academy with my presence!"

Ahri laughed really hard. "You really think so?"

Ezreal put his hand to his chest, saying, "If they don't build it, then I will just continue to prove my worth until they acknowledge me. I will pour everything I have into it so that people can appreciate me!"

Ahri smiled, and started warming up to Ezreal a little more. Now that Ezreal knew of Ahri's past, he felt like he was special to Ahri since she didn't know many other humans that she could trust. In his head, he was probably the only guy whom Ahri could trust besides Jirou. When they got there, they just sat down and watched the children of Ionia play all around the ginormous field of brightly shining grass in front of them. "They seem so happy!"

Ezreal could tell that this was already a good idea bringing Ahri to this place. "Yeah, youth sometimes brings out a lot in people. I'm actually glad that I was an only child, because I really don't like kids…like at all, haha!"

Ahri turned her head towards Ezreal, and gave him a small nudge. "I bet one day you might think differently. What it if was your own son or daughter?"

The thought of Ezreal having his own kids slightly frightened him. "I was already probably a handful for my parents and it was just me! I'd lose my temper so easily, even though the sound of having a wife is slightly more interesting. I have to be honest, I never really thought of life after being a champion. That's really the only thing that I've desired for so long."

"Could you tell me why?"

Ezreal thought to himself about it. "That's a tough one, mostly because I probably forgot…" Ezreal laughed at himself and started thinking more deeply about Ahri's question. "Well, it might have to do with my nature, you could say. My mother used to always tell me these fun stories of things that champions could do, and how it was refreshing that she didn't have to go through the horrors of things like War hopefully ever again. She told me that champions hold their place rightfully at the top because they dedicated themselves to their passion, which I wanted to be able to experience. I always thought of myself as a bit of an explorer, so I thought that maybe becoming a champion would open up these opportunities for me to explore the world and also become someone that some people could call a hero."

Ahri seemed really captivated by what Ezreal said. "To become a hero for your people, that's quite a goal. Well you know me already, I was sent here for protection. I didn't expect that I would really have to become a champion in order to survive, but that's what it is starting to look like. I hope that someday it can come to me what my purpose is, and what I wish to accomplish by becoming a champion…"

Ezreal smiled back and playfully patted her shoulder. "Eh, I'm sure it'll just take some time!" Now that Ezreal and Ahri had created a nice mood, he decided to start talking about something he wished to know. "Now that you mention it, have you figured out what you want to put in your champion profile?"

Ahri sighed and put her hands on her chin. "No, not at all. It's hard for me to imagine myself as a champion because I struggle to see what I am to begin with. I don't really know how to explain it, but I didn't get to live for a lot of my life because all I've really been doing is surviving instead of living."

"No, I totally get that." Ezreal closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "I think I've read about this somewhere, but I've felt that a lot of other people have an external connection to their work here at the Academy. My external connection is my passion for adventure, and it's hard for you to make that connection because of your unfortunate past."

' _Time to put on my cool guy act once more!'_

Ezreal stood up and held Ahri's hands. "It takes some time, but I bet with a little help and some exploring that you will surely find that passion! I'll make sure of it!"

Ahri felt pleasantly surprised at what Ezreal said, and just quietly agreed while feeling a little shyer than usual. "You sure have a thing for words, Piltover boy."

Ezreal felt a tad embarrassed. "Huh, who told you that nickname?!"

Before Ezreal knew it, Ahri was laughing so much and Ezreal had joined in on her laughter. The two of them were surrounded by people in that giant park, but to them it felt like they were the only two people in the entire continent of Ionia at that moment. "I don't mean to cut the date short, but I just remembered a couple things I have to do. But, I'd like to continue this some other time if that's okay with you."

Ezreal nodded. "Yeah, of course!"

"I had lots of fun, Ezreal. It was nice spending time with you."

As Ezreal stood there watching Ahri walk down the hill and go back to her own place, he just couldn't get a few things off his mind.

' _I seriously just wanna pummel whoever told her to call me Piltover boy right now! Even though she said it like that, she still almost feels a little innocent or shy about it. I wonder if that anything to do with something she heard about me, or what Ryze told her about me. It's so weird to still think that someone this hot is actually taking a liking to me, like it makes my heart pound so hard every moment I'm with her. But…I'm not really scared, I'm actually excited...it keeps making more more excited just imagining how she will progress, how the both of us will progress. It gives me the confidence to keep trying so hard, so that I can continue to prove my worth!'_


	9. Chapter 8 - The Grind

It was hard for Ezreal to sleep that day, right after his date with Ahri. His mind was just constantly replaying the entire day as he just laid down and wondered what would happen in the future. Ekko was diligently at work on his Profile once again, and managed to create holographic representations of himself. Ezreal looked over, and tried to figure out what Ekko was up to.

"You already done with that project?"

Ekko rolled around and sighed a little bit. "Not even close, but I have some ideas of what I need to do. This project is really hard."

Ezreal thought to himself about how much progress he had made on his project. Since the last time he saw Caitlyn, he didn't make many changes to his profile. He got up from his bed and said, "Mind if I check out yours a bit? I'm just curious is all."

Ekko got out of the way to show off his holographic-self and also some makeshift abilities that used a time-winder. "It's really early in development, it's actually the 10th time I've tried this out and it makes a lot more sense to me."

Ezreal flinched. "T-Ten times?!"

"Yeah." Ekko sighed. "That's why I decided I wanted to take one weekend off so that I didn't have to think about this project. I'm actually quite surprised this is the only project we've had; I'm used to a lot harsher work."

Ezreal started to see something so different in Ekko. He usually was vibrant and cocky sounding no matter what setting he was in, yet now his body language and tone was totally quiet and tame. Ezreal felt a little jealous that Ekko came from such a privileged background in a very wealthy Zaun family, but he started to notice something was up with him. Ezreal followed up, "What kind of harsh work did you have to do?"

Ekko crossed both of his arms and began feeling chills down his spine even thinking about it. "20 hours a day, 6 days a week. I sat in my professor's lab and had to make a bunch of technology for my family. The day off was also fairly brutal…my dad would make me sleep outside and just wander through town doing a lot of groceries for the rest of the family. I was always told that my creation was a mistake and that I would never amount to my big brother, so really I wanted to prove them that I could by becoming a Champion."

Something that was interesting and also a bit ominous was that Ekko's expression wasn't even that of being angry or sad, but just alone. It made Ezreal empathize a lot more with him, since he would probably not be able to recover so easily from such a brutal past. "How can you just shrug off such mistreatment from your own family?!"

Ekko threw his hands behind his back and looked up to the ceiling. "I dunno, I guess my father beat all the emotions out of me. The only thing that I feel is the willingness to prove them that I was not a mistake." Oddly enough, he began to laugh it off. "I thought that I could've made some more friends here; my original thought was that I could do that by acting like the 'bad boy' who doesn't become complacent or get scared easily. Yet, more people probably hate me now."

"I mean, it's ironic. You remind me a lot of myself." Ezreal shrugged still at the thought of comparing himself to someone he originally hated, but he continued. "I also came here to show my parents how strong and dedicated I am to my goal, but it wasn't because I was envious or angry or anything…I was just super passionate about reaching that level. I don't have the best time getting along with other people as well because I don't really know what to do. I guess we'll have to watch each other's backs from now on, eh?"

Ekko managed to smile slightly. "It seems like a fine course of action. I mean, if you're like this and you can get that super-hot fox girl, I should be drowning in women by the time we graduate!"

Ezreal was annoyed. ' _So he's still a sarcastic jackass…Not surprised.'_ So, Ezreal just kind of shoved it off and went back to the topic at hand. "Well, I might help you with that if you can look over my project. I don't have any idea where I'm going wrong." Ezreal handed over his book that he was taking notes in for his profile, since he didn't have a hologram ready for presentation.

It took a while, but Ekko had thoroughly looked through the entirety of it and closed it. "You're not being true to yourself with this champion description. I don't know you well, obviously, but I can tell you are really overrating yourself and almost writing an autobiography of what you want to be. After my 5th or so trial, I figured that this isn't really supposed to be putting ourselves on a pedestal, but rather reaching into our talents and combining that with knowledge of the Summoner's Rift and the Champions from the Institute of War. Ryze told me that a lot of people make a big mistake in trying to focus only on themselves and making them stand out, and they end up becoming consumed by their ego and ultimately fail."

It was hard for Ezreal to accept, but he did have a really big ego. "Well, so what if I am confident? How does that help me figure out what I should fix?"

Ekko gave back Ezreal his book. "It's not a simple math problem that you can just constantly enter and repeat – it's a unique understanding of yourself that only YOU can really answer."

"But that makes no damn sense!" Ezreal was really annoyed at this point. Again, he was reminded of someone like Ahri who also had no idea what her purpose is or who she wished to fight for. It felt insulting for Ezreal to try and state that those who painted themselves as something were already wrong. "If only we can answer if we are truly being ourselves when we represent ourselves in this project, then how can others judge if this is right or not?"

Ekko rolled back around and went back to work on his hologram. "Look dude, it seems really trivial but you just have to search inside yourself. I always had a love for technology so I made sure that my champion reflected back on that. You're a self-proclaimed explorer, so you shouldn't act like you're joining the wrestling club or something."

"That's…ugh, screw it!" Ezreal nearly slammed his book on his desk and jumped back into his bed. "I've spent my entire life thinking about this, how is my perception of my Champion-self going to change in the span of 3 months here at the academy?!"

" _That's the point of the project_ , _dumbass_." Ekko started to become very blunt, mostly because he was getting annoyed of Ezreal's tone. "The idea is that even if you are 99.99% sure, that extra .01% search is something that you have to identify in a small time-span. The point is that it requires a TON of thought and originality in your representation. You could just copy someone else's work and graduate, but you are lying to yourself in the end. This is a project that takes a lot of trial and error because it's a reflection on you, not on the academy."

Ezreal scoffed, but he actually understood a lot of what Ekko had said. Since his father was very persistent in making Ezreal work extra hard for the things he wanted, it wasn't a foreign concept to Ezreal that he had to start thinking differently for this project. Once more, he started thinking about how this reflected on how he had been changing slowly since coming to Champions Academy. After receiving fairly blunt advice from Caitlyn, it started to make sense that he might've been looking at his goal without the right mindset. "…Thanks, I guess."

"Hmm?"

"I guess I needed another wake up call. I think I'll be able to get this project done now in some given time."

Ekko laughed once more. "No need to mention it, roomie. Although…you know I don't work for free!"

Ezreal also laughed. "You're such a weirdo, how can someone as isolated as you be this obsessed with women?"

' _Whatever, I don't really know how much new advice I can give him but hopefully it's enough to get him off my back. I need to get to work now.'_

Ezreal spent the entire rest of the day working on the project, and even decided to start from scratch three different times. He looked over the comments that Caitlyn gave him in the e-mail reply along with the training regiments accompanied with them to get an idea of what he might make his appearance. Originally, he wanted to look heroic, as if he was in a comic book with super powers. It hurt Ezreal to just think about making him continually weaker and weaker, but if it meant that he could finish this project, then it meant something greater to him. Now he decided that he wanted a much more casual look with some garb that ancient explorers in Piltover used to wear. He even added some special goggles that his mother got him when he was young and always wandered off into caves and came out dustier than a thousand-year bookshelf. It made him wonder what kind of weapon he would decide on, but he decided to leave that for later.

Once Ezreal had finished making the hologram, he fell over on his desk from the lack of sleep. "So tired…"

Ekko had tapped his back to wake him up. "If you're gonna keep working, at least have something to eat." Ekko handed him a half an egg-sandwich. "I wasn't that hungry so feel free."

"Uh, sure." Ezreal chowed down really fast and felt a bit more energized.

"You really went to work, huh. It'll obviously take some more days, but your hologram actually looks pretty interesting."

"Hah, think so? I don't even know how I feel about it. I always thought champions looked cooler than this!"

Ekko walked over to his bed and was about to hit the hay. Before so, he asked Ezreal, "Hey Ez…"

"What's up?"

"What is it that you fight for?"

This was a question that still had no answer from Ezreal. It came to him during this weekend that his only goal in coming to the Academy was to graduate and become a Champion, but it was becoming very clear that he would fail if he did not change something. He slowly changed his attitude, but it was always harder for him to answer questions that he never thought of before. It was reminiscent of how he always choked up when talking to girls like Ahri, because it wasn't just Ezreal being nervous, but Ezreal being confused.

Ezreal turned around and smiled. "Beats me!"

Ekko shook his head and laughed a bit. "I think that once you figure that out, you'll be set. Take care, roomie."

"Good night, Ekko." Ezreal waved off to him and went straight back to his work. It was nearly 1 A.M. and he had class in 9 hours but he wanted to keep working so that he could talk to Ryze as soon as he got to class about what he was feeling about this project now. He wanted to know, how should he find it in himself to be true to himself when making his profile? How can he rely more on truth instead of emotion? Most importantly, to whom should he start to fight for when he has only fought for his own sake in his life?

' _I was always told that acknowledging the past can be a key to the future. Could she help in that? I wonder…'_

He instantly opened his phone and texted Luxanna, "Hope this doesn't wake you up, but you wanna meet up after class and get food?"

It didn't even take 10 seconds before Ezreal put down his phone that he got an immediate reply of, "ABSOLTUELY! :D"

"Hah, I'm not really surprised." Ezreal then replied, "Awesome, can't wait to catch up."

To Ezreal, Lux was someone that enabled him to just be himself whenever he wanted, and she was also someone that admired Ezreal for whatever reason. He wanted to know more about Lux so that he could hopefully find the answers to these important questions that he wanted to know in order to go on at the Champions Academy.

' _But I'm so conflicted now. I feel that she has a stronger passion for me than I do for her. No matter what, I just don't want anything bad to happen to her because she is really my best friend. Will she still be there for me if I don't reciprocate these feelings? It makes me excited and nervous for the future, and all these things ahead of me…'_


	10. Chapter 9 - Frozen

**A/N:** Hey everyone, this chapter took a little while longer to put out than normal due to school, but I'll try to go back to weekly chapters as soon as I can. Enjoy!

For some, time is completely linear and moves in a concrete fashion every single day. It doesn't disturb your thoughts or change the way you act whatsoever. While there is no way to 'pause' time, there are many people who suffer from psychological drama in their life and they feel that time refuses to move forward. The feeling of time being frozen for someone would be akin to how someone might feel when freezing to death in the arctic – you do not feel pain, but you slowly wither away until all is lost. Once in his life, Ezreal had wondered what would happen if time began to freeze for him. When he was free of guilt after meeting with Lux that day, he felt color return back to his life and wondered about what he might've missed in that time where he felt no external motive to keep on moving forward. Now that he was a student in the Champions Academy, every day was a new little bit of his future storyline that he didn't want to stop. It was hard for Ezreal to imagine how anyone could possibly feel lonely or even 'cold' when surrounded by such awe inspiring people and décor in the Champions Academy at Ionia. It might have been because he had never visited another land before, or maybe it was the fact that he was a sheltered kid who wasn't off on his own. Ezreal truly wondered what it might feel like to not have the same advantages that he did coming into the Academy.

That's why he got some chills when he thought of Lux, because she was someone who helped re-ignite his passion, not for his own sake but for hope in the future. Thanks to that hope, he worked hard enough to get into the Academy and start right back on his path to become a Champion. The first time that he met Lux, he could not even begin to think that Lux would be the type of person to become a Champion. She was very shy, and seemed so obedient to her parent's wishes. What changed inside of Lux that day, Ezreal wondered?

Ezreal's thought process was interrupted as soon as Lux walked into the room and sat by him.

"Heya! You look tired, what's up?"

Ezreal was thrown off by surprise, and tried to shake it off. "Oh hey Lux! Ah, I guess I'm just tired from working a lot last night. I got a ton of new perspectives on my Rift Project, and I think I have a better understanding of what I wanna do now."

Lux smiled, and pushed her bookbag right underneath her desk. "That's great, I haven't put a lot of hours into it but I think it's been pretty obvious what I want for my profile."

The rest of the class started rolling in super-fast, and Ahri walked by Ezreal and waved at him. "Yo, Ahri! Have you met my friend, Lux?"

Ahri walked over to Lux and oddly shook her head. "I don't really know most of the people here still, so I guess that figures."

Lux got out of her seat, and bowed to Ahri. "Pleased to meet you, my name is Luxanna from the Royal Heir of Demacia!"

Ahri smiled and laughed a bit to herself. "I'm Ahri…of…Ionia!"

Both of them giggled like teenage girls, though still having some sense that Ezreal was connected to the two of them in some way. Both of them eagerly wanted to know what the opposite meant to him, but Ezreal interrupted, saying, "Come to think of it…not everyone came out to the mountains on that weekend so I think there's a couple people I still haven't met."

Lux immediately struck the air with her fist in excitement, saying, "YEAH! Ezreal, you haven't met my brother, have you?" Ezreal shook his head, and suddenly Lux pulled a really hefty guy from the corner of the room to his desk. Ezreal just looked up at him and felt terrified to even talk in the same direction of this guy. Not only was he a decent looking guy, but he was built and looked like he was a mercenary from an action movie. "This is my dorky big brother, Garen!"

Ezreal remembers meeting Garen that one time he saw Lux in the Summer, and he was doing pretty hefty yard work, but he didn't strike Ezreal for the super shy type. Now all Ezreal could think of was how their parents raised them to make them both so similar, and yet radically different at the same time.

"H-Hey…" Garen greeted himself, but looked slightly to the left, while whispering to Lux, "You didn't say there would be women…"

"Ahah, dummy! You'll get over it!" Lux pushed Garen towards Ahri's direction, and he trampled Ahri to the ground with his overpowering might.

His head fell right underneath Ahri's chest, and he got up immediately and started bowing his head over and over. "FORGIVE ME! I DIDN'T MEAN TO VIOLATE YOU! I'LL PUNISH MYSELF ACCORDINGLY!"

Ahri dusted herself off, and she got up to look Garen back in the eyes. ' _Damn, why is every dude in this place like…super hot?'_ She laughed while trying to lighten the mood, and said, "Oh, don't worry big guy!"

"OUT OF THE WAY! GAWD!" Ahri was shoved forward into Garen's hands, and he immediately tried to get Ahri off him. Ahri looked over to see who it was that shoved her, and it was yet another girl that she hadn't met. "Literally have no time for idiots like you."

"Excuse me?" Ahri walked up to her, and crossed her arms in discontent. "To whom do I owe the pleasure, or displeasure I should say?"

"Pfft, I guess you'll need to know my name because you'll be hearing me enough. The name is Janna, and I'm just here to claim my rightful spot as the most decorated women in history! To me, you four other girls in this class are just competition."

Ahri gritted her foxlike teeth, saying, "Challenge accepted."

Ezreal got in between them to try and stop any fight that would break out. He felt nervous, being the only guy in the corner at this moment but he kept on being persistent.

Ryze came in at that time and everyone went back to their seats. "Good morning, everyone. We're going to start where we left off last class when we were talking about the Noxian defeat at the fleet in Zaun…"

' _Another history lesson, jeez it's not easy to stay away for these.'_ Ezreal looked over to Lux, who was diligently writing down all the info that Ryze was displaying off the board. Lux was already a girl who seemed pretty devoted to her studies, but it was hard for Ezreal to imagine that even she finished her project faster than Ezreal was planning to finish his. It seemed like for a long time, Lux was also a sheltered girl who rarely got to explore the world. Would she use her profile to go back to her roots, or try to be more outgoing as she had been lately? Ezreal pondered some of these questions he had of Lux, up until a few moments passed by and everyone was leaving the room.

' _W-What…did class end?'_

"You ready to go, Ez?" Ezreal looked up from his desk, to see the ever-so luminescent and beautiful smile from Lux as she extended out her hand to Ezreal. Instead of wondering more about what had just happened, he accepted Lux's hand and walked out of the room. Ahri, feeling intrigued, had followed the two of them to the cafeteria where they sat and ate sandwiches while talking about the past.

"We haven't really talked since that first day we met each other, huh?" Ezreal initiated the conversation while resting back in his chair a bit. He wasn't terribly hungry, but he did want to at least talk with Lux a bit.

"Yeah! If it was me, I'd say you were avoiding me, haha!" Lux gnawed into her sandwich while laughing. "So, what have you been up to? Do you like Ionia?"

Ezreal started drifting once more. ' _Whoa, it's happening again. What is this feeling that's grabbing hold of me?'_

Lux started snapping her fingers as Ez laid on the table. "Heyyyy, wake up!"

"Gah!" Ezreal put both his hands on his face. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm not feeling myself lately."

Lux felt a little sad for Ezreal and thought he just needed more sleep. "Do you just want to talk some other time?" She was about ready to stack up her plates and leave, but Ezreal stopped her with his hand.

"Nah, I'm fine!" Ezreal immediately took his hand back and smiled. "I was just hoping to ask you some questions and catch up."

Ahri felt a little less suspicious, but still he didn't know what Lux wanted from Ezreal so she continued to stay, while remaining out of sight of the two

Lux rested her arms on the table. "You know me, I'm an open book!"

Ezreal thought of how he should word the question, but it was something that he couldn't really dodge. So, he loosened his shoulders a bit and asked, "Do you love me?"

Lux, sipping on coffee while hearing this, nearly choked on it and started coughing a bunch. She looked really pale, and just tried to laugh it off. "Uh, hahaha! You didn't used to be this forward and everything…I mean like, wow...Umm…" Lux was trying to hide her blushing face as she searched through her emotions. Ahri's ears perked up tightly, pointing towards the sky as they awaited the response from Lux. The suspense was killing all three of them, and Lux just burst randomly. "C-Can we talk about something else?"

Ezreal didn't hesitate to reply, "Yeah! I know, super weird question! So uhh…" This time, Ezreal wanted to really ask Lux some important questions that he was pondering. "Have you ever felt time slow down, or even speed up around you?"

Lux gave quite an amusing look in response, but she understood what Ezreal was saying. "Time doesn't really stop or move at different speeds than normal, but if I caught what you were saying…Yes, I have experienced time freeze right before my eyes."

' _How did she know so quickly? Can she read my mind?'_

"When I was a little girl, the days didn't seem to separate at all. I would wake up, eat, do everything that my parents told me to, interact only with the few butlers that I worked with, and then went to sleep. I had never got to experience the world, so I figured that this was just a normal life and that no one really got to go on the outside, but then I got to see the world for what it really was! I can now step outside and see the sun, and know that I'm moving forward." Lux took a sip of her cup of coffee, and with a small glance in the corner of her eye she caught Ahri attempting to listen in on the two of them, but she didn't say a word. Lux tried to use this to her advantage. "You mind if I ask you some questions now?"

"Go for it."

Lux put both her hands under her chin as she grinned slightly. "So what exactly is Ahri to you?"

Ezreal hesitated a bit, but he knew that he could not hide it forever. "I think I like her. You know, I've never really met someone else like her who started from Rock Bottom but has the continued resolve to push forward as she does."

Lux's grin started shaking, as she thought of her next question. "She's certainly a cute one, but how would she compare to me?"

"Huh?" Ez had no idea what Lux was insinuating, and just looked at her with a confused face. "Well…I mean, her boobs are quite bigger."

Lux just sat there in silence for a couple moments, her eyes closed and her head tilted downwards.

"Whoa, you okay?"

Lux thought to herself, ' _I don't know why, but that statement made me quite unusually angry for more than one reason.'_ She faced upward and tried to get to the point once more. "I sort of meant…like, do you like me as you like her?"

Ezreal shrugged, as he didn't know himself at the time who he would say that he likes the most, or if he even likes Lux on the same level that he likes Ahri. This was never a situation that he thought he would ever have to handle, so he searched inside of himself to find out a way to answer her question. "Lux, you obviously know I like you, that wasn't the reason that I asked you to come here. It didn't strike me until recently that I affected you so much that summer day until you showed sincere care for me and helping me regain my good side. That's something that I will absolutely always be indebted to you by, and I will always be your friend. When it comes to anything else that I feel…I…"

"Say no more." Lux put a finger up to Ezreal's lips and smiled back at him. "I don't need immediate answers from you, Ez. If I can do something, even indirectly, and it makes you happy, then that makes me happy as well. I'm obviously still a bit shy myself, since I've been secluded from talking to other boys for most of my life. Like my mother always use to tell me, 'what happens in the future is ultimately for the good.' I will be happy no matter how much I mean to you."

"L-Lux…" Ezreal was completely lost for words at this point. "You're so well-spoken and kind, I could never dislike you."

Lux bowed and took her plates as she left the table. "Until next time, see you later Ez!"

Ahri could see now that Ezreal had some past material interactions with Lux, but it was mostly limited and friendly in nature. This pleased her to know that she wasn't being cheated on, but now she almost felt a little sad for Lux since she could see that Lux was a very sincere girl. It didn't stay on her mind for too long, however, and she left the lunch area shortly after Ezreal left.

' _To feel frozen in time, as if nothing around you matters…is that really how it is? I wonder if it's like a life trigger that sets off when you feel a certain way. I can't say what would cause this feeling inside of me, however.'_


	11. Chapter 10 - Shelter

**A/N** : Long chapter because of my prolonged break, this one focuses a lot more on Ahri. Apologies for the delay, hopefully I'll get back to schedule within a week.

To feel like you belong, to come home to a warm greeting and sleep on a soft mattress after a long day and rest your worries away…this description seems characteristic of a refuge or shelter for the regular person, but for those like Ahri without a home, there is no such thing. From the many people that came to the Champions Academy, none of them had to live on their own or think about their survival except for Ahri. Truly, she was the most unique from her experiences and from how differently she lived in comparison to the others.

Ahri had been at the Champions Academy for a couple weeks now, and still she had not really acquainted with anyone other than Ezreal and Lux. The horrors of her past made her believe for so long that humans were evil and that she didn't need to associate with them. Yet, she had lots of jealousy towards humans. While Ahri did grow up with a pack of foxes that she could somewhat call her family, she didn't get to experience the family environment that many humans are regularly treated to.

That morning, Ezreal and Ahri had met in the morning and had breakfast together. Ahri was pretty quiet, because she was still unsure of how Ezreal felt of her compared to Lux.

Ezreal opened by saying, "You're a bit quiet today, anything bothering you?"

Ahri didn't want to hide how she felt. "Oh, this is just really different for me. I get that you humans are probably all comfortable eating like this in a rather large environment surrounded by everyone, but it freaks me out a bit."

"Yeah, I don't think I ever got to ask you." Ezreal put his fork down after chowing down on his omelet. "What is it like being a half-human? How different is life just being in the forest?"

Ahri whiffed her hair back and forth. "Words can't really describe. Perhaps I could show you instead?"

"I'm in! Any chance to see more of this nation is always fine with me." Ezreal got up afterward and said, "Well, I gotta head to Training. I can walk with you after class if you want!"

Ahri accepted. "I'll just wait around the outskirts of Runaans. Later, Ez!" She watched as Ezreal walked off, thinking about how much time the two had already spent together. The way that she felt toward Ezreal was a bit different than Jirou, but she really enjoyed the comfort that Ezreal provided for her. Before even entering the Academy, Ahri wasn't really planning on associating with anyone. She planned on hiding the fact that she was a half-fox half-human so that maybe she could fit in a bit more. When she was listening in on Ezreal and Lux's conversation, she really felt the message of 'time slowing down' hit her.

' _You don't know it Ezreal, but I feel like I am in a different world when I am around you. I don't have fear, I don't have shame, my heart beats rapidly with every single word that I say to you. I wonder just how you might change me if I can truly reveal who I am to you…will you still like me? Will you be like the Ionian men who wanted to slay me, or will you stay by my side? I feel that you, more than anyone else, really appreciate me, but you have yet to see just how wild I really am. No matter what happens tonight, I will still cherish our time together, Ezreal.'_

Ahri nearly fell asleep in deep thought about all the possible things that might happen, but she decided to walk out after a while and take a walk over to Ryze's office in the meanwhile. Ryze was fast asleep at his desk, with his legs crossed on the desk and a rather heft book laying wide open on his chest.

"Uh…Ryze?" Ahri knocked on the open door, and awoke Ryze almost instantly.

"DAH…Oh, I'm sorry. I've been extremely busy lately so I haven't had time to sleep. I take it you're here to talk about that email you sent me?"

"Yeah…Might as well." Ahri started to explain to Ryze about her current situation, because a couple of days ago she talked with Ryze about leaving the Champions Academy. "I am reconsidering what I had told you."

"Hmm?"

"You see, Jirou always told me that in order to be a Champion, Strength is not the only asset. For my entire life, I thought that strength was all I really needed. Talking to some of the people in my class made me realize that my purpose doesn't have to be solely for the blade. I guess…not having Jirou around really made me on edge, and I miss being able to have him around. I felt so uncomfortable around the entire class, and I kept having this sense that this is not where I should be. Now, I think that I can accept everything Jirou told me to hang onto and continue my studies at the Champions Academy."

Ryze closed his book, and started to open his computer to scroll over a large box of text which had all the Champion Profiles on it. "You're obviously a very well-endowed girl, Ahri. I can sense just from you walking into this room that you have incredible power that could be put to good use. Many of the fears that people like Terrence and I had involved what may lie within you, and just how you will control it."

Ahri felt a little uncomfortable, and put her head down. "Yes sir, I understand. I am also struggling to still control it and find a good way to preserve it for something good."

Ryze got up from his chair, and stretched out his legs. "Now, don't think that I just want to kick you out on a whim. It's more that we expect a lot out of our students now, and especially because of the incidents that happened to people like Terrence's own daughter. I am going to keep you on our roster, but I'm requiring you to submit a temporary Champion profile so that you can meet with me for mastery class. You're starting to get really behind and I can't put that much work on you justifiably. I won't question what you submit, but you should really take some time to consider these few things that I will tell you. Does your profile speak to who you wish to represent on the rift, not only for this school's sake but for your own sake? Will you hold back, or reveal your strength and use it for the glory of battle?"

Ahri held her head back up, although a little slower than normal, and she said, "Alright, I will get to that then. Thank you, sir." Ahri bowed and was about to exit, but she was stopped by Ryze momentarily.

"I hear a lot about you from Ezreal; it seems he's taking a liking to you, eh?"

' _He…he does?'_

Ahri smiled awkwardly, saying, "O-Oh yeah? I guess that's pretty nice. Never looked into it much!" It wasn't easy for Ahri to put it into words, and she also felt uncomfortable talking about their relationship straight to Professor Ryze, so she left it at that.

Ryze laughed to himself. "Those two remind me so much of what it was like to be part of the Champions Academy, back when it was all so simple. Given some time, they will mold into fantastic individuals capable of creating a legacy."

Ahri was in a much better mood now that she had this discussion with Ryze. It was something that was always pulling her apart since she wasn't a fan of coming into the Academy to begin with. No one in Ionia would dare shelter Ahri because they would be thrown in jail for conspiracy against the nation. The legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox in Ionia had created a rather harsh divide between humans and all types of half-humans. Had it not been for Jirou, Ahri would almost certainly be dead or detained.

Just moments later, Ahri could hear Ezreal running out of Runaan's hall with a shortage on breath.

"Hey, you okay?" Ahri asked this to Ezreal as he just slumped over by the door at the front entrance. It seemed like he was the first person to leave Combat Training.

"Ahh…yeah I'm fine, but this class is really kicking my ass." Ezreal was visibly frustrated, since he wasn't well accommodated to the type of training that he had to do. For Ahri and many others, it came as an expectation and didn't affect most of them.

Ahri offered him a hand up to the ground. "Will you still come with me to my home?"

"Of course!" Ezreal accepted her hand and jumped up.

"I have to say, I'm a bit nervous. There's a few things that I've kept secret from you and many others up until this point. You are the only person I'm comfortable doing this with."

Ezreal scratched his head in confusion. ' _Really hope this isn't something…like super kinky or anything…Do half-foxes show their love the same way as humans?'_ Ezreal took a bit to think, and just drifted back into thought. ' _Then again, it's not like I'd reject any advances from a hot fox-girl!'_

They traveled for well over a half-hour, and had to make a couple detours due to the location of the Champions Academy. They were on the western end near the central gates of the innermost city of Ionia, and they didn't want to have to pass through the town. Ezreal was excited to see the major outskirts of Ionia, but he didn't know what to think.

Ezreal started to interject, "You really have to walk all this way every day?"

Ahri didn't think much of it. "It isn't that much for me. I'm different in humans in that I have a stronger physical capacity so that I don't tire out easily. Plus, I wander a lot and don't have a set location. I just chose to come here because its far enough away from town."

Ezreal shuddered a little bit. ' _Now I'm getting a bit nervous myself.'_

Once they got there, Ezreal jumped up on a large rock and looked all around. "Whoa, it's a lot bigger than I expected! I know the beach is closer to Southern Ionia, but this is at a really high elevation! I bet it looks amazing at night!"

Ahri smiled. "The surroundings definitely are nice, and this is one of the few forests that humans don't come to very often, so I don't have to intervene too much."

"Intervene?"

Ahri's ears perked up, knowing that she partly revealed herself. "Ezreal…You know how I told you the forest is my home?"

"Yeah?"

Ahri turned around, to reveal a large grudge-filled face and sharp eyes. "Those who traverse around here aren't usually doing it for the fun of it. They are hunters, and they wish to kill anything for the thrill of the hunt. Even though they are humans, they are nothing but wild animals to me." Ahri's tails started to flutter about with blue fire.

"WHOA!" Ezreal fell to the ground. "What's up with your tails?"

Ahri realized that she let her anger get to herself a little bit too soon. She immediately powered herself down and set next to Ezreal. "Sorry about that…I usually don't lose my temper so easily." Ahri wasn't very good at hiding herself to begin with, so getting to this point for her was the point where she could no longer hide herself. "I too am a bit of a wild animal at times, or so I've been labeled by Jirou."

"What does that mean?"

Ahri put both her hands together in a circle, and swirled around a little ball of energy until she could fully grasp it in her one hand. It was chiming like a bell and giving off its own unique pulse. "I am the descendant of a powerful tribe that can control spirits. I feed off the energy that I take from my enemies and turn that into power for my senses. For me, food is not nearly as satisfying as sapping the energy from someone's spirit."

Ezreal could tell that she was beyond the fighting capacity already of most the people at the Champions Academy, and it wasn't really hard for him to figure that since Ahri lived on her own for so long. "So, you steal people's souls and feed off that to survive?"

Ahri said, "Not necessarily, it's more of what humans call a 'pleasure' to me. I might be able to fully survive without it, but I would get really angry and grow a lust for killing instead." Ahri looked up to notice that Ezreal's expression was nearly blank. "I didn't mean to scare you, Ez. I just wanted to know if I'll ever be comfortable sharing this form with other humans. Forgive me for what I'm about to do!"

"W-What?!"

Before Ezreal could even resist, he was pounced on by Ahri. She restrained both of his arms down and inched closer to his face. "I'm not going to kill you; I just want a little bit..."

' _This is bad; I don't know how strong she is but I can't waiver like this!'_ Ezreal tried to move his arms back and forth, but he started feeling his strength exit his body.

Moments later, his lips met with Ahri's, and he finally let go.

' _Whoa…It feels like my body is heating up like crazy.'_

Ahri had decided to leave it at that, while licking her lips. "You're lucky I restrained myself. If I went any longer than that, I might've just never let go. You're pretty tasty!"

Ezreal managed to get up on his feet. "I can't even tell if that's supposed to be a compliment, but I feel really disoriented…" It took Ezreal a good minute to tap back into his strength, and he had to hit the back of his head multiple times just so that he could feel something once again. Afterwards, it finally registered to him that Ahri kissed him. "Uh, so what was that for?"

Ahri laughed. "I told you I'm a lot different than you think. Although this moment was a bit harmless, I kill people through seduction and eat their lustful spirits. I can also see the desires of humans, men and women alike. From what I got, you're a fan of large breasts?"

' _How the hell…'_ Ezreal just sort of scoffed and said, "Well, I'm not gonna say no."

She laughed even more this time. "I'm just playing around, Ez. Part of why I wanted you to come here was so that you could see how I grew up and who I truly am. As I've shown you, my true form is ferocious and sometimes I just can't help myself. I've hid this from you and everyone else because it seems really taboo among you humans. From what my guardian told me, before many of my descendants had perished, it was fairly typical to mate with dozens of half-foxes and humans alike every week. Since I am one of the last of my kind, I am sought out by many people who do not know the truth about me." Ahri walked over to the ledge where the ocean was hitting the top of the island's crust ever so slightly. "I am scared, because I don't know what to do or where to go."

"You're not the only one, Ahri."

"Hmm?"

Ezreal just sat down by her as he also looked out into the distant ocean. "We are all scared about the future at times. Heck, sometimes I wonder if any of the things I'm going through right now is worth it in the long run. I get scared about how hard it's going to be when maybe I don't have my mother by my side supporting me. That's why coming to Ionia, I had to learn that all the rough challenges aside, if I wanted to keep going I needed to build my new home here. I say that metaphorically, of course, but in the sense that this is my new life that I will keep my stride toward."

Ahri grasped her left shoulder. "You have a lot of courage, Ezreal. I wish I had it in me to say I was anywhere close to you."

"If it helps, I think you are stronger than you give yourself credit for." Ezreal got up and smiled as he looked down at Ahri. "You're the only person I know who is living on their own and still kicking it in high gear at the Academy. You're the only person I know who would share such an important secret about their past, regardless of how I might've thought of you afterwards. More importantly, you are the only one that I know who has had the strength to press on even during some terrible circumstances. After hearing how you talked about how uncomfortable it is to stay around humans, I don't think I'd last a second in the wild! So honestly, you're the strongest person I know."

Ahri held her legs to her chest and sighed. "That's really sweet of you to say."

Ezreal turned his back to Ahri. "I only speak the truth."

Ahri hugged from his backside, and said, "Please continue to be my shelter, Ezreal. I am so indebted to you."

Ezreal knew that this time, it was Ahri's true emotions speaking out to him instead of her lustful side. He didn't feel uncomfortable anymore around Ahri, now knowing that neither of them had anything to hide. Truly, he felt the closest to Ahri that he ever felt with any girl that wasn't his mother. Ezreal replied, "I got it."

Ezreal turned around and hugged her back. Ahri suddenly said, "Although I appreciate this moment, I feel like if you keep staying here like this that I might truly seduce you."

"Aha, I'm sure it's not that bad!" Ezreal was a tad bit taller than Ahri, so he couldn't see her expression quite easily but once he looked down, it was obvious to him that she was starting to become thirstier than someone without water in the Shurima Desert. "Uhh, alright I'm gonna head out then…"

Ahri now gave Ezreal a devilish look as he started walking backwards. "You better move faster than that, Ez. I haven't had someone as delicious as you in forever, so my impulses are _really taking over right now_."

"AH, OKAY SEE YOU TOMORROW AHRI!" Ezreal started running out of fear away from Ahri, who he expected would be chasing her shortly after he took off, but she just bursted out laughing on the ground.

"It's true I haven't had someone like him in a while, but I'm a little better at controlling it. It's both a miracle and a shame that he's cuter than he is sexy." She held her hand out in the air as she let her fingers glide through the wind. "Yet, he sure is one of a kind. To act so natural around my true form is something I never expected of any human, and he still accepted me."

Ahri started to lie down on a nice patch of grass, as she thought to herself once more, ' _To live within this nation for me has always been to survive and fend off against humans. With Ezreal, I believe that I don't need to live in a desolate area surrounded by the horrors of the world, because…I can live within in the shelter that he has created alongside me.'_


	12. Chapter 11 - New Challenges

The first few weeks at the Academy for almost all the students seemed trivial at best in most of the fields that they had to work in. There weren't any hard-pressing things they needed to study for or seek out advice for. Rather, the students had to figure out how to adapt to a new life in this place under Ionia. Even those who had lived in Ionia before came to the realization that Champions Academy was deliberately built far away from the depths of Ionia so that the living environment could be more of a cram-school than a typical college built around a city.

The challenges that Ezreal faced had to do with starting to learn how to re-live his passion in a way that coincided with graduating the Academy. While Ezreal had already taken significant steps to change how he acted thus far, what he didn't realize that every single day he was making decisions that would carry his life in a direction unknown to him. He was called into Ryze's office that later day to finally discuss some of the matters with him that revolved around Ahri.

When Ezreal stepped in, Ryze was laying horizontally across his desk with his book on his face.

Ezreal just inched forward a bit, trying not to make a lot of noise. "Uhh, Professor Ryze?"

Ryze groaned and realized that he had fallen asleep once more. "Two in one day is really unusual for me…Gah, I'm gonna throw out my back one of these days." Ryze lifted the book off his face, threw it on the bookshelf where it landed perfectly fit in the middle where it was taken, and backflipped into his chair. "It's good to finally talk to you once again, Ezreal. How has your second week at the Academy been for you?"

"It's been really exciting! To be honest, I wasn't coming here expecting to have a lot of fun. I thought the fun would come much later down the line."

Ryze started opening up his computer, while saying, "Good, very good. I don't dwell on it too much, but there's a lot of things that go through this old head of mine when I see young people like you going through some seriously arduous tasks."

Ezreal laughed while combing his hair back with his right hand. "Hah, it's been nothing too terrible! I must admit though that Braum has been really pushing me to the absolute edge…for better or worse I suppose."

Ryze kept typing, until he had finally pulled up the things that he wanted. "Alright then, now I want to get to the crux of what I wanted to tell you." Ryze put his folded hands on the desk and looked straight at Ezreal. "I talked to Ahri earlier, and we had a brief discussion on her stay here at the Champions Academy. I seriously want to know directly from you – how do you think she feels about you, Ezreal?"

Ezreal leaned back a bit, and all he could think of was Ahri's lustfully beautiful eyes as she said, ' _you're pretty tasty!'_

"You know, it didn't come to me until just today but she doesn't like a lot of other people here. I think she has trust issues with humans due to what happened to her at an early age. For some reason, she just really likes me a lot."

Ryze coughed. "So, the reason I'm asking you this is because she told me today that she wanted to leave the Academy."

Ezreal was taken by surprise. "Whoa, you serious?"

"Very." Ryze continued, "She very much implied that you were a major factor in her decision to stay here."

This time, Ezreal leaned back in and reflected on the amount of time that he had spent with Ahri in these short few weeks. "I see."

"I'm not your guardian, so I have no say in the people that you socialize with. But be warned, boy…" Ryze took off his glasses and stared into the depths of Ezreal's soul. "This is not a place for you to mate. Our Academy strives on people cooperating and finding a new life for themselves, not living in a fantasy world with no consequences for your action. I've noticed that your participation in class and your work have significantly declined as you have continued to talk to Ahri."

"But, Sir!"

"ENOUGH!" Ryze slammed his desk as Ezreal tried to backtalk. He put his glasses back on and chilled his temper. "I'm going to have other people watch you and make sure you pay heed to my word. Don't think for just a second that I won't eject you from this Institute if you disobey the rules!"

Ezreal slowly tilted his head downward, and nodded. "Yes Sir, I understand." Ezreal got up from the old wooden chair that he was sitting in and stretched out his arms. "I'll be heading out now then, see you in class tomorrow."

"One more thing." Ryze interrupted him before he left. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day. We will be hosting a Ruins Trial where all the students will be required to travel through an ancient Temple and show off the skills that they have chosen for their profile. I will be watching you and expecting the utmost success, my boy."

"Yep, I got it!" Ezreal hurried out before he could increase Ryze's temper any more. Ryze sighed, and went back to look at his catalogue for all the submissions for profiles. He was glancing over Ahri, who had just submitted hers a bit after Ezreal had left her in the forest. "To think that this girl could change so much just due to some weird kid from Piltover. If I can help her harness and control her power, she would be absolutely unstoppable."

Ezreal had one more class that day, which was his Mastery Class with Caitlyn. Since he had finally completed a Profile, he would start to do a lot more real training. When he got to his room, no one was there but there was a note on the door. Ezreal tore it off, and it read:

' _Yo,_

 _I'm gonna be out late tonight, don't wait up._

 _-Ekko'_

"What could he even be doing tonight?! Whatever!" Ezreal was still frustrated from the talks with Ryze. He didn't want to admit it, but he was once more in the wrong on his end of the argument. For the last week, he had been trailing behind in both studies and training routines. The exercises that Caitlyn had given Ezreal were purposefully easy just to see if he would actually do it, but still he neglected it. Ezreal in his mind had just kept thinking of how strong he was and how insignificant all these tasks were, so it never came to him until now that he was growing out of his working habits.

It also came to Ezreal that in losing those habits, he had grown attached to living more of a regular lifestyle. It made him so conflicted, not just due to his feelings for his friends, but since he detested his former self that worked so hard until he wanted to perish at the end of the night.

He decided that it wasn't worth on dwelling for the time being, and went to his Mastery Class.

As soon as he arrived, the door had shut behind him fast and he heard Caitlyn's voice in the distant. "You're late"

"I apologize, just been having an awfully weird afternoon."

Caitlyn didn't know or want to know what he meant. She laid down a couple pieces of paper on his sole desk in the wide room and said, "The Temple Ruins are tomorrow, but I'm sure you already knew this. I've given you a report of it that I made a couple years back for all my students, and a helpful guide that I think you might like."

Ezreal stuffed both papers in his backpack and asked, "Is that all?"

"Not quite; I think you need a little punishment for coming in late."

Ezreal though, ' _Why does that always have to sound so wrong?!'_

Caitlyn threw down a round bracelet looking device on Ezreal's desk. It was small, but it wrapped perfectly around Ezreal's hand and even recognized his face as soon as he put it on. "What are these?"

"It doesn't currently have an official name, the Institute called it RiftWarp. It allows you to connect with your Champion Profile and test out your abilities. We're not allowed to let students keep these because it's still too early in development but I want to see if you are seriously ready for what lies ahead. You, of all my students, are the cockiest and most self-acclaimed, so I think it's time that you put up or shut up."

Ezreal had tried to tone down his ego for the past week, but hearing what Caitlyn had said just ignited the fire inside of him to just show how strong he really was. "Hah, maybe I can finally make you eat some of those words of yours!"

Caitlyn put on her bracelet and threw her hat in the corner of the room. "My thoughts exactly, Ez. WARP, START!"

Suddenly, the two of them were thrown into a long lane that mirrored what Ezreal grew to know as the Summoners Rift. As he got up on both feet, he just scanned the area in complete awe of what it was like to actually be on even a replica of the Rift. The battleground that he had long yearned for had been right in front of him, with his entire kit at his disposal. He eagerly awaited to be released from this fictional realm and step on the real deal, but this moment was a good substitute. At this point in time, Ezreal did have in mind what he wanted all his abilities to do, but he had no idea how to activate them. For a while, he just tried jumping back and forth to activate his arcane shift, but nothing came of it. Ezreal ran down the singular long lane that he had in front of him to see if he had only a certain field where it worked. He saw Caitlyn in the distance just sitting on a small chair behind her turret.

"Yo, what gives? How do I use any of my abilities?"

Caitlyn laughed for a bit thinking he was joking, and soon realized he was not as he kept rolling around on the ground looking for a secret button that would turn on his skills. "I really hope you aren't this clueless in real life too…" Caitlyn walked over to Ez and nearly faceplanted him with her sniper rifle. "Listen, I'm not wasting any more time. We have already discussed that your abilities are a direct inference of your fighter spirit. You have to reach deep inside of yourself and put forth your energy if you want anything to come out. In the Rift, the best way to categorize this is 'mana'. If you over-exert yourself and use up too much mana, nothing will happen; similarly, if you can't tap into your own power then you lack the will to be able to fight."

Ezreal got back up, and tried his hardest to do as Caitlyn said. Ezreal focused all the energy that he could feel inside his body and sent it into his right hand. It took a few seconds, but it started to resonate slowly and it lit up with a large symbol on the top of Ezreal's fist, with colors as bright and yellow as his thick hair. He could feel as if an invisible bow was being carried in the palm of his hand, and soon it shot out like a beam of light. He flew backwards from the blast and landed on his back. "Gah, geez…I really didn't expect something like that but it felt totally incredible!"

"10 seconds."

Ezreal heard this from Caitlyn, but he was unsure what it meant. It looked as if Caitlyn too was channeling her energy into her gun as her surroundings started lighting up blue.

"5"

"H-Hey, what gives?! I just got this thing to work!"

"3…2…"

Ezreal rolled backwards and started running towards the jungle, but it was narrowly blocked off by some gigantic logs. He tried his best to blast it away with his magic, but it was useless.

"The hunt begins."

' _This doesn't look good. I have no choice but to fight up front!'_ Ezreal turned around and channeled a flux of energy into his bow, and he released a flurry of shots. Caitlyn had sidestepped every single one and returned fire with her sharp accuracy. Every single shot had hit Ezreal, and he could feel like his energy as well as his life was being drained. "Ugh…C-Can't it here…" Ezreal had finally managed to use his energy to teleport behind Caitlyn, but he had stepped right inside Caitlyn's trap.

"Now you're in my sights. Game over." Caitlyn got down on her left knee and widened her rifle's scope so that it zoomed in ever so clearly on her rooted target. A master hunter such as Caitlyn had almost no use for traps in the first place, but it gave her a good enough amount of time to fully release a final large homing bullet. Ezreal watched with despair as Caitlyn's projectile had jolted over to his position.

' _If I can just get out of this trap, I can shift again and catch her off guard!'_ Ezreal yanked at his left leg which was caught in Caitlyn's trap but it started to drag more and more. He lost all sense of feel in both his legs at this point from all the struggling and fell to his side. ' _ARGH, LET ME GO! I WON'T DIE OFF THAT EASILY!'_ Ezreal flailed his entire body around while on the ground, and finally managed to snap out of the trap. He turned his head slightly up to see the projectile just inches away from his face, and felt the force as it crashed into his body and pulverized him.

When he opened his eyes again, Caitlyn was nudging his forehead with her rifle. "Wake up."

"Ngh…What?" Ezreal realized that he was back on the outside soon after. "I lost?"

Caitlyn put away her rifle and went back to her desk. "I really expected more out of you, Ezreal. I really wanted to believe that I could mold you into a formidable Champion and a respectable human being; with your current trajectory, I can't even do either."

Ezreal just took his backpack and left without saying a word. Caitlyn let him go since she had already put him through enough, and she wanted to know just how Ezreal would evolve from this experience. Caitlyn set this up knowing that Ezreal would be beaten hard; hopefully too would his ego take a hit in the process of a terrible defeat, is what Caitlyn thought.

Once Ezreal had exited the building, he punched the door on the outside, softly. "Damn it." Then, he threw down his backpack and slammed with his left even harder, nearly wounding himself. "DAMN IT!"

' _I should be so much more stronger than this! I came to impress and all I've done thus far is disappoint. How can I ever expect to get anywhere in this Academy if I keep choking like this?!'_

Ezreal grabbed his backpack and started running back to his place. "If I'm not living for this moment, I'm not living at all. Next time, there won't be any doubt of it – I'm a Champion!"


	13. Chapter 12 - Sparks

In time, Ezreal believed that he would be at the top of his class and start learning the ways of becoming a Champion. It was impossible for him to accept the amount of sacrifice that he had already put in to come to the Champions Academy and fall short – it was his time to finally prove to himself and the world of his worth.

Surprisingly, Ezreal admired his father greatly. Both of his parents were sorcerers, but his mother refused to use magic around Ezreal. The lust for fame and fortune was what had linked and separated Ezreal from his father, because he never got to spend a lot of time with his father growing up. At the same time, his father wanted to see Ezreal having nothing to do with the Institute of War and to just be a successful student. The curiosity of his father's past was only revealed in small part by Ezreal's mother, who he shared a very special bond with. Although she too wasn't available to care and nurture for Ezreal while growing up, she had always encouraged Ezreal to constantly improve and keep aiming for his goals. Ezreal, being an only child, had no one by his side growing up to teach him about the world, so he taught himself. Seeing the beauties of the world made him want to learn more about the mysteries of the lands that surrounded him, and he often tried to leave Piltover to see what he was missing.

The few parts that Ezreal had not fully developed were self-sustainability and fortitude. Ezreal was never challenged as a kid; he was smarter than any professor or similar mentor that he had met in his former life. Similarly, he had no clue what was required of himself by living on his own. That's why joining the Champions Academy had produced a flurry of frustrations and clashing emotions which were hitting Ezreal from all angles. Ezreal had finally decided that he could use some helpful advice from his mother, the warmth and comfort of his life that would surely have something to say. Ezreal had to enter in her contact information for the first time since he had never owned a phone, and he waited anxiously as he punched in the numbers and waited her answer.

Two rings later, Ezreal's ears were met with a soft and delicate voice. "Ez? Is that you?"

At this point, Ezreal was resting back on his chair as soon as he had emptied everything that he was about to go back and work on. "Hi Mom, it's been a while since I've heard you."

She took over the conversation. "Are you okay, dear?"

"Yeah…I just needed to hear you again." Ezreal went silent for a bit so that he could try and find the words he was looking for. "It's really different up here, but I'm surviving. Although, there's been a lot of things I didn't expect that would happen."

"Oh?" Kate was surprised to hear Ezreal's tone of voice be so quiet and reserved. The only phases of Ezreal that she had personally witnessed were Ezreal's cocky and adventurous mood, or his bored mood. Now that he had hints of fragility, she wanted to dig deeper into what was going on with him. "Well, do tell!"

"I think that I've lost direction in my life." Ezreal drifted a bit in his speech while he tried to just imagine how he was just a few days before he came to the Academy. "Not that I'm on the verge of failure or anything, but this new life has introduced a lot of new things that I'm not used to. You know that I wasn't really interested in making friends prior to coming here, but there's been a lot of people here that I enjoy being around."

"So like, girls?"

"Haha, yeah!"

Kate laughed with glee. "That's what this is about? Oh, I'm so relieved!"

"Well, it's not really about that…" Ezreal once more took a step back. "I mean, sort of in a way, but I think a bigger issue for me has been figuring out what I want from life now. I didn't see the benefit of anything other than becoming a Champion, but that helped me prepare for a lot of the difficulties that accompanied being accepted into the Academy. I lived for the sole purpose of attaining this without knowing that life had so much else to offer."

"I think I get it." Kate could see clearly that Ezreal was changing, and as a mother she was proud to finally see her son finding out the true beauties in life. "You inherited a lot from Walter, not only in your adorable looks but in your undying resolve for what you want. Up until I met your father, he also lived for the thrill of victory and solely that. You know, when thinking about how much Walter went through during his childhood and his justifications for entering the war, it made me realize how lucky I was to have so many options available compared to him. I think you're going through a similar trial and just need to let go."

"Hmm? So, what are you getting at, Mom?"

"It's really simple, honey. There isn't one thing in this world that is objectively greater than others, but people tend towards a few things ultimately because of things they grasp onto for most of their lives. Our knowledge of the world is a catalyst for our personal transformation, just like your new experience in Ionia is a way for you to experience so many new things. So, just like I told Walter when we met so long ago…" Kate closed her eyes and temporarily went back in time, as she saw the much younger version of Walter right beside her, and she tugged his arm just like before and said, "There isn't one single beautiful journey through life, just as there is not one single beautiful color. If the only color we could see in a rainbow was purple, we might think of that solely as beautiful; if we mix colors and add some texture, the discovery we might make could change how we see forever."

' _Not one single beautiful color…huh…'_

Ezreal spoke once more. "Yeah, I think I get what you mean now, although now I might be a bit stuck figure out what my new journey should be filled with…"

Kate smiled, wishing that Ezreal was there so she could hold him like she used to when Ezreal was a baby and fill him full with grace. "Your journey will speak to you each and every day; my only advice is to trust in the power of love."

"P-Power of…love?"

"Mhmm! Think of it as that fire that you spoke of when talking about your passion to become a champion. That flame that lit so brightly might just become a few sparks from a firework if you do not continue to love it, and the same goes for anything else you might pursue. If you put can manage to keep up that drive that made you so happy and bashful when you were just a silly child, then I'm sure you can get through any endeavor so long as you believe in love."

Ezreal wishes he could be there with his mother so that he never had to be so lost in the dark like this forever, but now he could no longer be so wishfully bliss and let all the worries of the world light up in flames as the people around him give him the light necessary to see the world. The idea of 'love' had never crossed Ezreal as powerful, but rather something that ties people together. Relying on others was always a sign of weakness from the viewpoint of Ezreal, yet he never wanted to accept the fact that he was so lost without his mother beside him as an escort through his life. It was only natural to end by telling his mother for what seems like the millionth and a half time, "I love you, Mom. I really miss you!"

Kate was trying to hold in her emotions, because Ezreal was her child and because she knew that he was a very special boy. She said, "I love you too, Ez. I hope that I get to visit you sometime so that I can see my little grown up boy!"

Ezreal groaned but laughed along with his mother as he said goodbye and ended the call. As soon as the call ended, Ezreal went straight to exercising and preparing for one of his most important days yet – The Temple of Ruins. It was going to be livestreamed to the entire of Ionia, and every person at the Institute would be competing to prove their worth and show how they matchup against each other. Now that Ezreal had a chance to test his abilities before going through the Temple, he knew exactly what he needed to work on. When he went outside and walked to his usual training facility, he saw Lux heading straight through the doors at the Rec Center and he caught up with her.

"Hey, what's up with you?"

Lux turned around a bit startled, and said, "Ah, hey! Not surprised to see you here!"

Ezreal never expected Lux to be here of all places. It wasn't that Lux was weak, but rather that her personality was more of a bookwork. She wore a long blue shirt and shorts that looked two sizes too short for her.

"You mind if I ask you something?"

Lux answered, "What is it?"

Ezreal just kind of blurted, "What is love?"

Lux gave the most confused face that Ezreal had ever seen, and almost sort of dodged the question and laughed a bit. "You know, I just don't understand you sometimes, but I guess that's why I always keep coming back to you haha!"

Ezreal laughed, but tried to keep a serious face. "I mean, you had a lot more of a regular life than me in all honesty. My parents weren't around most of the time to tell me what these sorts of feelings really are, so I have to resort to asking people like you."

"Hmmm…" Lux didn't contemplate the idea of love in all its true meaning, but she had some idea how to contrast it. "You know, love is really hard to describe because of how complex it is. If I had to give a vague description of it, it's like a magic spell with such strength that it pushes people's vitality to the greatest ends. It brings out some hidden power that we didn't know existed, and it's feels so sweet…" As soon as Lux finished her description, she found Ezreal glaring at her conspicuously. "Uh, h-hey what gives?!"

Ezreal laughed a bit and just folded his arms. "Oh nothing; you seem to just have a great account of what love is. I wonder who it is you might love?"

Lux was blushing, and started thinking she might've finally been caught by Ezreal for her feelings towards him.

Then, Ezreal put his right hand under his chin while thinking and said, "Must be that damn pretty boy Jayce, eh?"

Lux, who nearly shrouded her face in her hands at this point, just turned around while trying to temper herself. Then she turned around with her usual bright smile and said, "Hmph, I guess maybe ignorance really IS bliss!"

Ez didn't know what that meant, but he appreciated Lux's answer and went straight to exercising. This was actually the first time that Ezreal was in the Rec Center, and although it was huge there were not many people inside of it. The only reason that the Champions Academy didn't feel like such a ghost town was because the nearest Ionian town had access to a good portion of the facilities on campus.

' _I think I have a better understanding of love now.'_ Ezreal was almost jealous that Lux was so carefree and happy all the time, because it was a strong quality of her that he struggled with keeping. Although, it seemed clear that there was another force of nature at work in all the people so close to him that were working wonders in their lives. If it wasn't for Ezreal's initial drive to succeed, there would be no point in all the struggle that he had suffered through.

It made Ezreal start to think about why someone like Ahri had continued to suffer so much, and live a life of such loneliness all this time without any clear drive for becoming a champion. Questions like these would probably answer themselves sooner rather than later, Ezreal thought. Once Ezreal had finished his exercising routines that he set for himself, he went outside and saw the sun coming down.

Lux approached him from behind, saying, "It's lovely, isn't it?" Lux's hair was in a big jumbled mess with a towel around her neck, but she looked as happy and carefree as ever. "Something about Ionia really brings out the beauty in the world, don't you think? Whether it's the harmony of nature, the view of the lands surrounding here, or the subtlety of everything that makes you glad you are alive."

"Yeah…You really do have a thing with words." Ezreal and Lux laughed together as they walked out together. "Although, I still don't get how you can be this cheerful all the time."

"Maybe you'll know when you find that flame inside you once more, just like old times!" Lux knew that Ezreal was faltering more and more since the last few times that they had met, but someone like Ezreal wouldn't change so drastically as to lose what makes him so likeable in the first place.

' _Not to mention, you still don't know how I feel about you, Ez…'_ With one las thought to herself, Lux said goodbye to Ezreal as he went off to get some sleep and be ready for one of the biggest tests of his life at the Temple.

When Ezreal lied down and took off his gloves, he felt a little embarrassed of himself of how he always acted around Lux. "It really hasn't been a secret for that long, Lux. I sort of always knew that you loved me, but only now do I understand the weight it has carried for you now."

Ezreal lightly slapped himself across the face and just put his left hand on his forehead while trying to fall asleep.

' _If only I knew…'_


	14. Chapter 13 - Passion

**A/N: It's been quiet a while since the last upload, expect these chapters more often now that it is Summer. As per usual, enjoy!**

When Ezreal woke once more, it was close to class time and he vigorously rushed to class while still buttoning down his shirt and eating a half-cooked waffle. If there was one class that Ezreal could not afford to miss, this was it.

He could feel the tension inside the area of his classroom before he even opened the door and saw everyone standing in the back. He threw down his backpack to the side and wandered over. Jayce came over to him and asked, "You ready, Piltover boy?"

Ezreal didn't even turn around to give him the smallest amount of attention, but he scoffed in reply to Jayce. "I was made for this, and you'll see why!"

"Haha! Well, I'll be sure to keep on the watch, then!" Jayce loved riling up Ezreal, since he knew that Ezreal was so confident in himself, but also because he admired Ezreal's burning passion for becoming a champion. Although Jayce didn't think about it too much, coming to the Champions Academy was not a choice but an expectation set by his parents. Jayce found it interesting that so many people here actually enjoyed what they did, even though it is so tough.

Ryze, Caitlyn and Terrence Ivanci stepped into the classroom in the next few minutes. Ryze set down a very large book on his desk and started speaking: "Ahem, attention…" As he started opening his gargantuan of a book, Caitlyn was unpacking a bunch of things that she and Terrence had carried over to class. Ezreal immediately noticed how similar the devices looked to the one that Caitlyn gave him for his personal training.

"All of your profiles have been registered successfully, except for one…" Ryze adjusted his glasses as he glanced over to Janna, who looked absolutely livid.

She was walking out, but before exiting she said, "DRESS CODES ARE BULLSHIT, ANYWAY! SEE WHAT I CARE, OLD MAN!" She slammed the door behind her, but that didn't phase Ryze whatsoever.

"As I was saying…now, the only burden on you all is to prove to us that you have the strength to conquer highly formidable tasks that were originally assigned to the veterans of the Institute of War. Mr. Ivanci is here to brief you all on what we will be doing today."

Ryze stepped back from his desk, while a roaring thunder of claps came in as Terrence stepped up. "Ah, thank you all so much! This is the first class I get to visit for this 27th year of the Champions Academy being up and running. I have a feeling that we have many special people who will be joining the ranks at the end of this semester, should everything go well today that is. Without further ado…" Terrence opened up a very large scroll in front of him horizontally so everyone in the class could see it. He explained that this trial is based on a real ruin with many powerful creatures and obstacles. The goal of the trial is to retrieve three silver coins, and then exit the ruins in one piece. Terrence closed the scroll and explained that the students will be divided into two groups with three divisions that contain two people.

Ezreal raised his hand. "Sir, how do you plan to divide us?"

Terrence replied, "Oh, don't worry about it too much. I mix the groups depending upon skills, size, abilities, and other sorts of talents to divide up everyone equally. I won't make you choose who you want in your division, but the group division is mandatory. Ah, I guess I might as well reveal the groups then!"

Caitlyn handed over another fairly large scroll, which had everyone's name written on it and color-coded with either blue or red. Ezreal was in Group B, which consisted of Ezreal, Jayce, Ahri, and Pantheon.

Ahri immediately cheered with glee, while Ezreal gave a death stare over to Jayce. "You better not get in my way! H-HEY!" Ezreal became flustered, as Jayce grew a devilish look in his eyes.

"You are not of my concern, anymore. It is my time to finally expose Atreus to the rest of the world, and finally come out on top in our rivalry!"

Ezreal pulled Jayce towards him in disgust. "You think you can dodge me that easily, pretty boy?"

Pantheon intervened into the two of them. "I think for the sake of our lives…" He slowly nudged over to Ahri, who seemed like she was emitting dark aura while behind Pantheon.

Ahri whispered, "Go on…" Her claws were stretched around Pantheon's visible skin.

Pantheon squealed, "I WOULD MUCH PREFER TO BE IN JAYCE'S DIVISION!"

The mood was totally offset, and Ezreal sought out more information from Ahri. "You know what this is all about?"

Ahri immediately went back to her passive and cute looking self in an instant, with a subtle look of confusion in reply to Ezreal. "Hmm?"

Ezreal just let it be, and decided that it was fine to be in the same division with Ahri instead.

Group A consisted of the other four members of the class: Riven, Lux, Akali, Garen, and Ekko. It seemed so weird to Ezreal that his class was this small compared to a lot of the others, but it meant that there was probably a lot more comradery between all the people around. Ekko and Garen looked dull, and Riven tried her best to bring out everyone's spirit. "LET'S GO B TEAM! WE'LL CRUSH THE OPPOSITION WITH OUR SUPERIOR TEAMWORK!"

Akali sighed, while noticing that Lux also looked pretty down and wasn't sitting with the rest of her group. Akali walked over and nudged her on the shoulder while saying, "What's got you all down? You're usually Miss Shine and Bright #2, next to our favorite tomboy Riven of course."

Lux jumped up and just removed all expression from her face. "Don't want to talk about it. Nothing important."

Ryze coughed loudly once more to get everyone's attention. "Well then, now that you all are consolidates into your groups…let us begin, shall we?" Caitlyn and Ryze helped to pass out the RiftWarp gadgets to everyone, and they began the intermission sequence almost immediately. All of them had transferred to an alternative dimension where the Temple Ruin of Valoran stood right before their eyes. Everyone was inside a magic circle, and time itself around them appeared frozen. Riven looked up and saw a butterfly just completely still just right above her head.

Caitlyn gave the orders for Group A to line up for their trial. The time limit was set to 15 minutes, and it was clocked into their RiftWarps already. "Once the time starts, you will be shifted into the Temple and the clock will start ticking. If you do not complete the main tasks, then you fail. Is Group A ready to commence?"

Ezreal looked over to the others, who nodded in reply. "Alright, let's do this!"

"That's what I like to hear." Caitlyn dialed in on Ezreal's RiftWarp the command sequence and everyone else stepped outside the ring while the summoning portal activated. A virtual screen appeared just outside the ring, which tracked Ezreal and Ahri as they teleported far, far away.

' _It's time for me to prove myself…once and for all!'_

Ezreal opened his eyes again, and he was falling a couple feet in what seemed like a very dark entrance. Ahri was right behind him. "Damn, I can't check the map in this dark. Do you have any equipment on you, by chance?"

Ahri simply laughed and lit up the cavern with her spirit flames. "You humans are too reliant on objects, ahaha!"

As if Ezreal was being whispered to once more, he could hear Akali's voice saying, ' _Wandering through a dark cave without a light doesn't matter even if you have a map.'_ Although Ezreal knew it was entirely symbolic, the foreshadowing seemed all too real for him. He noticed that the first silver coin was in the room ahead of him, and he went on ahead without thinking. Before he knew it, he was being pulled back by Ahri as a golem had smashed the floor right where Ezreal was standing before. "EZREAL, BE CAREFUL!"

' _Holy shit that was scary. Even though it's not real, I could feel that shockwave crawl through my skin.'_ Ezreal got back up on his feet, and looked around to see if there were any more exits. "Where do we go now?"

Ahri also looked around. "A place like this is likely to have trap doors." She also glared over to Ezreal and put her left hand over her mouth while trying to not laugh too hard. "Aren't you supposed to be the resident dungeon explorer, Piltover boy?"

"Gah, I can't catch a break!" Ezreal stepped on a bronze-colored stone in front of him, which caused something to move elsewhere in the Ruins. Ezreal decided to check it out, and heard Ahri screaming right behind him. He jumped back down to see Ahri clinging against the wall while avoiding small black spiders.

"KILL EM! KILL EM! AAAAHHHHHHHH!" She shrieked even louder when one almost touched her sandal. Ezreal just kind of stood there in disbelief for a few seconds, and decided to have mercy on Ahri and finally take them out with a few arcane bolts.

"Spiders: the only true weakness of the demon fox Ahri." Ezreal managed to say that with a straight face, and he started just laughing so intensely that he fell over on his back. "I'm sorry, I just had to! Aha…let's get back to the mission."

"You will receive punishment later."

"…What?"

Ahri acted as if she didn't say anything, and said, "Hmm?"

In a few more seconds, a torch lit in front of them and revealed a converging path that led to a ring outside. "Oh, this should work!" Ezreal jumped over on a rope hanging from the ceiling, and Ahri just merely jumped over on all fours. At this point, almost nothing about Ahri could surprise Ezreal. He noticed that the stone door shut behind them very loudly and then the ground started shaking.

"What's going on now?"

Ezreal looked around, but before he realized it, his body was rooted in place by sharp and long strips of thorns. "AHRI, LOOK OUT!"

Ahri was also caught up by the thorns, but she got out of it very easily with her fox-fires. In the next few moments, they were surrounded by giant skeleton warriors. All Ezreal could do was try and cut through the blades of thorn with his bolts, but his power was being sapped from him. Ahri dashed over to where Ezreal was and tried to pick him up. Ezreal exclaimed, "It's useless, just fight this one without me!"

Ahri refused to give up. She bit into the thorns, which shocked her tongue and made her fall over while screaming in pain.

Ezreal still couldn't get out, and he could start to feel himself losing blood. "What the hell is this magic?!" He saw Ahri get up, and her tails were lighting up hot orange this time. Ezreal fell over to his side and lost consciousness, while Ahri maxed out all the spirit power she had to shoot out bolts of flame at all the skeleton warriors that surrounded her. They all shattered to bits instantly, and she went over to aide Ezreal once more. "Ezreal?! Come on, wake up!"

As Ryze was watching, he set himself forward in his chair while resting his chin on his hands. ' _This is the moment I've been waiting for since I accepted you, Ahri. What will you do when your teammate is on the brink of death, being the soul stealer that you are?'_

Ahri put herself over Ezreal's body and tried shaking him awake, but it seemed that he would not wake up. "You can't black out on me this fast! Come back to me!" Ahri, as if broken herself, just kept shaking Ezreal back and forth. "This isn't how it was supposed to be. I should be the weak one, not you! I partnered with you because I knew you were courageous, and to be honest I still like you a lot, so can you just wake up already?!"

Still, no response. _Tick tock, the clock had hit ten minutes_.

"This is what you wanted, wasn't it?" Ahri now felt very discomforted, not because they were running out of time but because she might be forced to do something that she wanted to avoid at all costs. "You know, I still don't get you humans. You act so tough, but what happens when you go out in these wild places and have to act on your own personal strength? Why do you persist to treat me like another one of you? Is it because you lust for me? Is it because you are lonely like me?" Ahri just couldn't keep up with herself, and she fell over beside Ezreal's body with her hands folding up her face. Once more as she looked over to Ezreal, she started to thirst for his soul once more. She lifted her claw over to Ezreal's innocent, pale face as she got back up on him.

Now, everyone including Ryze was waiting in high anticipation of what would happen next.

"Your mistake was in choosing to partner with someone like me. I've thirsted for the taste of your soul ever since that one time, and now you've starved me for too long…" She leaned down and got very close to Ezreal's face, but she couldn't move any closer. Instead, she saw reflections of her time with Ezreal as she looked deep into his eyes.

 _When they first got acquainted…'Well, two brains are better than one. That statement is especially true if you add the fact that I'm one of those brains!'_

 _When they started becoming more friendlier…'WILL YOU GO ON A DATE WITH ME?'_

 _When they traveled back to her dwelling place…_ ' _So honestly, you're the strongest person I know!'_

Ahri stood up and pounded the wall right beside her, while tears started running down her cheeks violently. "But I'm not…" She let her head just lean against the pillar. "I'm weak, and I've always been. I never asked to be wanted; all I ever wanted was to just have my peaceful solitude in the forest. I'm a coward, and always use my powers to entrance the feelings of those around me. I…don't…I don't deserve this…"

Everyone who was watching started feeling more and more confused. Ryze had no clue that Ahri would react like this, especially when reflecting on all he knew about Ahri as an individual. She never worked well with groups of people, or humans in general. She was honestly extremely ferocious and hostile inside and outside of battle, so seeing this breakdown from her was something so shocking and revealing to him about how Ezreal changed her. Ryze didn't like that this relationship was a thing, but he decided to let it pass for this scenario because it meant that perhaps he could send another champion to the Institute of War.

Soon enough, Ezreal started regaining vision and he saw Ahri sulking in front of a pillar right in front of him. "Ugh…wh-what's going on?"

"Huh?" Ahri immediately turned around, which revealed the fact that she was crying. Ezreal tried to get up, but his knee was weak from the couple of falls that he had, so he was laying on his belly.

"Gah, dang that really hurts! You think you can help me?"

Ahri rinsed her eyes with her hands, and tried to blow it off as she helped Ezreal up. "Hmph! Feeble humans!" She put Ezreal on her back as they went forward. They went back to the outer edge of the path that led back inside so that they could grab the first silver coin. It glowed, and Ahri could see a small figure display in front of her that there was one more remaining and she soon realized that both Atreus and Jayce had been missing from them this entire time.

Before the two of them realized, they were being teleported to a new room on the other side of the temple where Atreus and Jayce were climbing up a wall while shouting at each other harshly. Ahri put down Ezreal and jumped over to them. "What are you two doing?!"

Jayce never let go of his eye contact with Atreus. "PATHETIC, ATREUS! How will you bear the sting of defeat once I take the last silver coin?"

Atreus threw his Javelin at Jayce, which nearly pierced him but was swatted away by his Mercury Hammer. "This will be the LAST TIME that I let you get the jump on me, Piltover scum!"

Ezreal looked once more on the map to figure out why they would be climbing to the top of the backside of the temple, since the silver coin was below them according to the levels on the map. Ahri jolted up the wall instantly with a furious expression on her face. "You idiots, don't you realize that we have four minutes left?!"

Jayce grinned. "Of course I do, sweetheart. That's why Atreus and I have beaten you two to the punch. Hope you can keep up!" Jayce transformed his Mercury Hammer with a jolt of lightning and the clash of gears rolling against each other as it became a large cannon. He aimed it near the ground where Ezreal was sitting down. "You might want to tell Ezreal to move by the way."

Ezreal witnessed Ahri rushed through the air gracefully as she grabbed him and hauled him just outside the room, just a few seconds before he could see Jayce charging his cannon with an enormous shock blast.

"Don't think this means we are friend, Atreus."

Atreus focused his energy into his feet and snickered at Jayce. "I wouldn't count on it for a second!" The sky was filled with so much energy from Jayce building up his Mercury Cannon, and Atreus had leaped into the air while holding his shield and spear below him to create an explosive impact on the ground, which was followed by an even bigger blast from Jayce's cannon. Soon, the ground shattered and revealed a dark room with a light glow near the bottom of the secret exit marked on Ezreal's map.

All four of them jumped on down, and were instantly met with even more hazards. Hundreds of coffins had started opening all around them, with one larger sarcophagus surrounding them in the middle.

Ryze had crafted this particular route for Group B so that he could witness all four of them fight, but in particular he wanted to see Ezreal fight. Even though he could not stand, he insisted on fighting and started charging energy into his mystical bow.

"That sarcophagus is transferring energy to all these zombies, I can take it out in one blast if you all give me enough room!" Ezreal stood on one knee as he pulled out his bow and put on his

Ahri was fighting off all the hordes of zombies that attacked Ezreal from his backside as he was about to unleash his ultimate ability for the first time. Both Jayce and Atreus were focused on killing more zombies than the other, as if it was a contest between the two. Ezreal was running out of breath as he tried to keep holding onto his bow. After passing out, he lost most of his strength and couldn't tap into his energy as usual. He fell over on his back from exerting too much pressure.

"Damn it!"

Ahri looked over her shoulder and instantly rushed to him. "Ezreal! Don't push yourself too hard!"

Unwittingly, this made Ezreal angry. This was the first time that he had a chance to prove his worth to all the people in the Academy, and he was already falling so short after all he had done his entire life to prepare. The last thing that Ezreal wanted was to not give enough; if he was giving more than enough and falling short, it was still failure. He got back up on his feet, still shaking and running out of breath while saying, "I…can still…do it! AGHHH…I CAN STILL…DO IT!"

Ezreal could feel a flow of energy enter his body as he put out his bow once more and released all his power as he unleashed the Trueshot Barrage. Although he didn't fall down unconscious, Ezreal could no longer feel his body as he faltered to the ground. The sarcophagus was pierced in half and a ray of light had exited it as it fell over to the ground and collapsed.

Jayce ran over to the sarcophagus, which had a golden apple inside of it. He put it inside his bag as he walked over to silver coin just behind it. Ahri slapped his hand and took it. "This quest isn't yours alone, Jayce."

Jayce put his hand behind his head awkwardly and laughed it off. "Come on, don't be like that! It was a team effort!"

Ezreal managed to get himself back up, but he could still feel a pain that felt all too real to him. Atreus came to his side this time and put one of his arms behind Ezreal's back to help him up. "We have only a few minutes left to escape, let's go."

They had all gotten to the secret exit, and Jayce had lodged the golden apple in a small crevice that looked apple-shaped, and sure enough the door began to open and they all ran towards the final teleporter with a few seconds left on the clock. Ryze opened his scroll and sent them all back to the classroom, and the mission had been complete.

Caitlyn congratulated the group and gave out honorary medals to all four of them.

Jayce had already started bragging. "I only counted 78 on your end for the last battle, Atreus. You disgust me."

"Are you kidding me?! You kill stole me at least 15 times, you sniveling little brat!"

Of the four of them, however, Ezreal was the loudest. "Hmph! That was nothing special, it was all me there at the end!"

Atreus and Pantheon looked at Ezreal with blank stares for a few seconds before laughing hard and nearly falling to the ground.

Jayce stopped first and said, "I'll spare you for now, boy. That said, your swagger really doesn't match the results if you take out some _external factors_. Keep that up and you're just asking to get smacked down!"

' _What's this jackass think he's talking about? I'll definitely pulverize you in the 1v1 sessions if you dare challenge me again, Jayce.'_

The break point had started since the first session had ended, and Ezreal went outside to take a breather and wait for the next announcement so he could go watch the next group. He noticed Ahri walk out behind him, as if she was tracking him.

"Did you need something, Ahri?"

Ahri blushed, "Oh, just passing by. I guess I never got to say thank you."

"For what?"

Ahri just smiled, and let the wind settle in before saying, "For everything."

 _To be continued soon_


	15. Chapter 14 - Forever

The time had finally come for the first group to enter the Valoran Temple. Ezreal had noticed that Lux was outside the room sitting down by herself, so he went over to sit by her.

Ezreal put a hand on her shoulder, while asking, "You nervous?"

"It doesn't really have to do with this trial, Ez." She burrowed her head in her lap.

Ezreal slowly took back his hand and tried to lighten the mood. "Ah, sorry if you aren't feeling well. I wish there was something I could do to fix it."

Lux shrugged. "You shouldn't worry about me honestly."

"What are you talking about?!" Ezreal stood up in front of Lux. "You're my friend, Lux. I can't believe you'd ever think I wouldn't care about how you feel."

Lux tilted her head slightly up towards Ez. "I don't want you to worry about me, Ez."

Ezreal kneeled town and offered his hand. "Trust me, Lux. Of all people, seeing you look this down makes my stomach churn."

Lux grabbed Ezreal and they ran outside the building together. The rest seemed like a dream to Ezreal; one moment he was outside with Lux, but he was ten years older and his goggles were too big for him. Lux was laughing at him while sitting on a log outside in the outer parts of Demacia.

Lux said, "You're a weird one, Ez!"

In that moment, he remembered what he said to her. "Isn't that cool, though? There's nothing unique about normal anyway! When I become a champion, I want people to appreciate my genius and appreciate me for who I am!"

She didn't get it in that moment, but she still smiled and wanted to learn more about Ezreal. Fast forward to the present, and many of those questions had continued to wandered inside Lux's head. For the entire day, she could feel her heart bang like drums every second she thought of Ezreal, but it wasn't anything new to her. Instead of feeling warm with appreciation like she usually does, she felt sad.

Before Lux had met Ezreal, she was content with her life that was chosen entirely by her parents. Lux didn't want anything other than to make her parents proud of her, so she spent most of her time in her private academies studying and practicing magic. There was no need for having relationships with anyone in her class, she thought. After meeting Ezreal, all of that changed. Lux had started becoming more talkative, especially around her parents and the few friends she had. After she graduated, she decided to join the Champions Academy and start a new life on her own. Lux wanted to explore the world, and with none other than the person that set her free.

Ezreal had woken up, and he was staring down Lux as she opened the teleporter scroll into the Temple Ruins. She was in a division with Riven and Garen, and the two of them were clueless.

"Uhm, anyone want to check the map?" Riven was poking at her blade, which had a lot of cracks in it. In the next few seconds, she dropped it and it partially broke. "AHHH, HOW DOES IT BREAK?!"

Garen asked Lux, "Can't Ekko and Akali get this done?"

Lux shouted, "Get over it! This is our mission and I need you two to get through this temple!"

Riven and Garen felt disturbed that Lux would ever shout, but they decided it was best to follow her lead. She lighted up the dark and smoggy route with her luminescence spell, and found a book covered in cob webs at a dead end.

"There's surely a trick here, scan the wall!"

Riven raised her hand. "Rodger Dodger!" She put down her blade and waved her hands across the wall to look for a switch. A clicking sound went off, and the wall had fallen on its backside. "A fake wall?!"

Garen looked behind himself to see a giant wall of spikes accelerate towards their position. "INCOMING!"

Both Garen and Riven ran towards what was seemingly a dark trench at the end of the hall, but Lux stood her ground and ordered them to stop. "HOLD IT! This is another trick!" The spikes came faster and faster, and they came within inches of Lux's face before passing through her like a ghost. Everyone was confused like none other, and Lux pointed out that the spikes were just a hallucination set up to make people run into the real spikes. She took them over to the edge where Garen and Riven almost ran off, which had even sharper and longer spikes protruding from the ground.

They retrieved their first silver coin and went to meet up with Lux and Ekko, who also had their first coin. Lux had figured that the last coin was going to be a test that put all four of them together, just like in the other group, so she started channeling her energy as soon as they entered the same room as them.

Ekko was putting the two silver coins in his bag, and he noticed that all the doors behind them were collapsing. "Damn, there goes our exit." Not a second later once the exit was sealed, the torches that were lit in this small room had been extinguished and all four of them could hear screeching noises that made them tremble to the ground. "I can't hear or see anything!"

Lux had slammed her staff to the ground and created a prismatic barrier around everyone, which gave them a small shield and let them see around them. There was a large nest of bats at the very top of the room that were creating small twisters while gliding around in circles.

Ekko turned around to her partner, and asked, "Akali, can you get those bats?"

"Leave it to me." Akali had put down a shadow veil and started running up the wall with her twin blade fangs right beside her. As she went up the wall, the entire room started to become more lit by Akali's barrier, and there was an even larger nest on the top of the ceiling where the bats were coming from. A few large bats had rushed towards Akali, and she had noticed that they were carrying something on their wings. Ekko was swatting a few bats that came down towards his elevation, and he saw that their wings were implanted with sizzling skulls. "Oh shit! AKALI, GET DOWN!"

"W-What?!" Before Akali could react, the bats had swarmed her and exploded in her radius. She came flying down and Lux came to catch her.

"Riven, Garen…take her to the back-right corner and let her heal." Lux put her staff in the ground and got on her knees as she tapped into even more power. "Ekko, I need you to keep a light on that nest so I can take it down in one hit."

"You got it!" Ekko jumped up on a nearby pillar and started dashing around the bats to avoid their explosives. There was one bat that ran past Ekko and went straight for Riven, who had her back turned to the bat. "HEY, WATCH IT!"

It was too late. The explosion went off before Riven could even turn around, but she was surprised to open her eyes and see Lux standing right in front of her.

"I…I won't let it all end here!" She was trembling on her feet and her armor was shot in half. Riven tried to get up and help Lux, but Lux had already walked back to her staff.

Garen decided to run over to Lux. "You have to stop, sis! If you keep going like that, you'll really overdo it!"

"I need you all to trust me." She didn't turn her back at all when talking to Garen and the rest of them. Her prismatic barrier now started to envelope her staff. "I know I don't look great, but I can keep going!"

Garen put up his hand in disbelief, but he decided to drop it. "Okay, be careful."

Ekko was losing energy, and started becoming slower and slower. "I can't keep this up forever, Lux!"

"I know!" Lux got back up to her feet and held her staff out in front of her. It started to float with bright rainbows as it filled the rest of the room with a blinding light. "I have lived in the dark for so long, but I can finally show to everyone that I will shine bright!" Lux expelled all her remaining force into her staff, and the energy that had been filling the room had all aligned in a single thread of light that had protruded from the top of her staff. It evaporated for a second, then sent a giant shock blast of light onto the nest. It set in flames and exploded on the ceiling, which made the pillars start shaking back and forth.

"Everyone, get in here!" Ekko had grabbed Lux and heeded everyone to come to his location in the middle before the ceiling collapsed on all of them. He put down a device that created a light blue and purple converging field around them, and all of them had started to converge into holograms as they exited the building in one piece. They had all dropped from a couple feet in the air at the entrance where they came from, and Lux had fallen on top of Garen.

"Gah, you couldn't have just teleported us?!"

Ekko snapped back at Garen. "I'm sorry, I guess we should've just used YOUR fully-working chronobreak device, right?"

Before they could argue more, the Ruins had disappeared and they were teleported back. Ryze and Caitlyn were clapping loudly, and he went over shake all their hands. "Excellent work, everyone. I can't wait to see more of you all in action after this display."

Ezreal was amazed by Lux. He never doubted that Lux had great mastery of arcane magic, but this was something else. She was fighting with all her heart, and he knew it all had to do with what they talked about before all of this. Lux waved over to Ezreal and she was about to wander off but Ezreal had caught up with her. "You're better than you give yourself credit for, you know!"

Lux thanked Ezreal. "It was because of you, Ez. I felt like I had the power of a thousand spellcasters knowing that you were watching me and cheering me on."

' _I know now…and I can see it inside of how you acted today, it all made so much sense in the end.'_

Before Ezreal had left to go on his way home, he started feeling as if he was in that backlot with Lux again just before she entered the Temple Ruin. When she rushed out Ezreal and both were out of breath, they looked into each other's eyes for a few minutes in silence until Lux asked Ezreal, "You knew how I felt about you, right?"

Although a few empty seconds had passed, Ezreal responded, "Yes, I did. Although, I didn't know how much it really meant until now."

Lux slightly laughed, saying, "You and I are honestly really similar, Ezreal. I got to learn so much about you that I never even considered my own origin. I have really only started living for myself in this past year and I still don't know what I am doing. On top of that, you taught me to be happy for myself and you made me smile so much. I knew from the first moment what this feeling was, but I never knew it could hurt so much." Lux had walked over to Ezreal, taking his hands and saying, "I love you, Ezreal."

' _Wow, I never thought you'd be this forward, Lux'_

A few seconds later, Lux took back her hands and continued, "And yet…I know this love is not reciprocal."

"Lux…I-"

Lux interrupted Ezreal immediately. "Please, just don't this harder than it has to be." Ezreal couldn't see her face, but she was smiling; she was also crying. "I've been really selfish, Ezreal. I wanted you but I had nothing to offer in return. I have not developed myself at all since the time that I first met you. I woke up today wondering what it was that made you like me in the first place. I think that it was the need for connection, something that I lacked so much. Inside myself, I could feel that I was yearning so hard to have special contact with someone. I was jealous that for once in my life because I didn't get what I want."

Ezreal put his right hand on his forehead and tried to keep his head up. "It's not your fault, Lux. I couldn't sort out my emotions if my life depended on it. I'm such a damn fool."

"Ezreal…" Lux turned around, and lifted Ezreal's hair to kiss his forehead slightly. "It's okay, I don't put any fault on you. The truth is, I still love you and I will probably continue to dream about a world in which our love may be mutual. However, I do not live in that world and that is okay with me. I can be happy that I am here with you at this time, and that we have such a great friendship."

"Of course." Ezreal hugged Lux tightly. "I have always valued as a friend, and would never do anything to hurt you. I will always be your friend."

Lux embraced Ezreal, saying, "Forever."

' _You have amazing patience with someone like me, Lux. After seeing how much you went through all this time, I promise that I will not give up on love.'_


	16. Chapter 15 - The Drive

It was the last class day of the second week in Champions Academy, and everyone from Ezreal's section had a free hour in the morning but still decided to hang out around the empty classroom. Almost all of the people had lived on campus, and yet they spent most of their time in the small center of campus where most of the classes went on. Ezreal caught up with Ekko, and congratulated him on his results from the Temple Ruins.

"You were incredible out there, Ekko! Your idea for that kit was really cool looking as well."

Ekko didn't think much of it. "You actually liked it? I'm still not sure if it's really all that good…"

At the end of the hall, both Ezreal and Ekko could see Janna at the backside of the door polishing her nails. She scoffed at the sight of them and turned her head. Before Ekko fully entered the empty room, Janna grabbed the back of his shirt and said, "Over here, boy."

"W-What?!" Ekko was avoiding making eye contact with Janna because of her voluptuous looks and her revealing outfit. Janna's shirt was missing the top two buttons and her skirt was well above her ankles.

"I watched you yesterday, boy. I hope I get to see more of you in the future if you're that strong." Janna looked down and winked at Ekko, and his entire face turned steam-hot red as he fell over the ground. Ezreal immediately came over to help him off the ground. Ekko was totally out of it while being dragged back inside the room.

"YO, EARTH TO EKKO!" Ez was waving his hands all around Ekko's face trying to get him to snap out of it, but it was useless. In the next few minutes, a bunch of people had started to enter the room. Ezreal waved over to Ahri, who came over to Ez with a blank look on her face, so Ez asked, "Hmm? What's wrong?"

Ahri just smiled deviously. "You didn't forget about your punishment, did you?"

Ezreal's entire body became pale as he remembered what happened yesterday. Ahri whispered in his ear softly, "Run…"

Ran he did, and with such incredible speeds that he collided right into Lux, who was just entering the room. "AHHH, DAMN THAT HURT!" He looked down to see Lux groaning in pain and got up immediately. "Ah, my bad! Let me help you up!" Ezreal offered his hand, and Lux reached out and pulled him to the floor.

"Hmph, idiot." Lux dusted herself off and left Ezreal stunned on the ground. Then seconds later she thought to herself, ' _S….SO CLOSE!'_

Akali and Riven looked at Ezreal, who was just laying down now by the wall of the room. Riven came close to Ezreal's head and said, "Whatcha' doing lounging out here, Piltover boy?"

Ezreal quetly said, "Don't wanna talk about it."

Akali figured it was not worth worrying about it and moved on into the classroom. As soon as she saw Janna sititng in her seat, she said, "What do you think you're doing, you shameful girl?"

Janna didn't even bother opening her eyes to acknowledge Akali. "I want to talk to Ekko today. Get lost, little girl."

That statement made Akali reach for her blades, but Jayce came right behind Akali and grabbed her hands. "Now now ladies…We are all the future of the Institute of War! It's important we all respect each other's well-being and-"

Jayce's statement was interrupted by Akali kicking Jayce in the chest. "Don't you dare touch me."

Before she should kick him off his feet, Jayce grabbed Akali's leg. "Come now, love. I _really_ don't want to get my good suit dirty."

Ekko came over to Akali and said, "Hey, can you knock it off already?"

Akali stared into Ekko's eyes awkwardly and said, "O-OK!" She sat down behind Janna almost immediately and looked away. Ezreal finally strolled back in and decided to sit behind Ekko. "What's on the chopping block for you today, Ekko?"

Ekko thought to himself for a bit. "I don't have too much to do, but I'd like to do some shopping today with you if that's cool."

Ezreal was confused, because there was almost no need for either of them to go out to Ionia for shopping since they got all their food at the Champions Academy, but he agreed anyway. Ezreal had also asked, "You know a while back when you asked me what I fight for? I think I know now."

Ekko smiled. "That's really good!"

Almost immediately, Ezreal had shot back, "But, I never got to ask you what your drive was?"

Ekko stumbled a bit, but he already knew the answer. It was a lengthy one in its entirety, but Ekko had simply said, "I want not only to be a genius, but I want the approval and appreciation of those closest to me."

' _That's really deep…I never thought you'd even come close to a statement like this when I first met you, Ekko._ ' Ezreal could now see that when he talked with Ekko about how he only pretended to be tough that he was actually serious now. Ez could almost hear the lack of confidence in his voice nowadays whenever he was talking to him, and it made him wonder how he could be so smart and yet so ignorant. Although, Ezreal wasn't exactly the perfect person for passing judgment on someone for being ignorant.

Jayce came over to the two of them, saying, "Both of you seem to really be fitting in with the Academy, I'm proud of you two!"

Ezreal stood up immediately. "What does that even mean, you pretentious jerk? You think you're some first-class student above us?"

Jayce shook his head while laughing. "I'm serious, Ryze always tells that I should really stop belittling everyone around me and give genuine compliments." While walking back to his seat, he smirked at Ezreal as if what he said was baseless. There was no way for Ezreal to ever tell when Jayce was being nice or just boasting himself up again.

Pantheon slammed his staff tightly on Jayce's desk. "You're getting weak, Jayce!"

Ezreal looked over to see Jayce's smirk intensify as he quarreled with Pantheon. ' _Oh…I get it. He's doing all of it to rile up Atreus I suppose. What a drag._ '

A half an hour later, Caitlyn and Ryze had entered the classroom and started talking about the big next event. "Okay everyone, I'm pleased to tell you that you all passed the Temple Ruins beautifully."

Akali angrily raised her hand. "Even the few of us _who didn't participate?_ "

Ryze fixed his glasses and coughed. "Look dear, I have no control over the decisions made by my superiors. I report everything that goes on in this classroom and a final decision is made by Terrence and the other staff when concerning these major events…Now then, I think it's important that all of you realize that the Temple Ruins were supposed to feel really easy because this was your initiation rite for your Rift Projects, but this next challenge is going to test all of your skills in combat."

Caitlyn spoke up. "The next event is going to be an Arena tournament, where you will fight with classes 5A and 6A in one on one combat."

Jayce held up his hand immediately. "Are we strictly fighting those two classes, or can we also our own class?"

"Good question, Jayce." Ryze opened a large spreadsheet which detailed out rankings and placings for all the different classes. "Up until the quarterfinals, it is impossible for someone in the same class to be fighting each other. This is to reduce match-fixing and give us a good view of which class is on top of their game overall."

Caitlyn added onto Ryze's statement. "We will also be ending the Rift project exactly three days from now. If you are still unsure about your run in the Temple Ruins, now is the time to fix it. The tournament officially begins next Tuesday, and we will all provide transportation and rooming for you all into the inner parts of Ionia, where you will be staying for three days."

' _Wow, this sounds incredible! I will have no better chance than now to prove to everyone I'm no pushover._ '

"Ahem…" Ryze took down the spreadsheet and stared down the 4A class. "I expect results from all of you, no excuses this time. I know that all of you have what it takes to become Champions, so I want to see you win this tournament and show me what Caitlyn and I have taught you. This class is going to be a lot shorter because I expect all of you to focus on your training for the next three days. You will have a mandatory meet with either me and Caitlyn for your mastery class on Monday, and then the rest will be up to you. With that, I welcome you all to come find me in my office these next couple days if you wish to talk to me about anything I should know for this upcoming tournament. I will see you all soon!" Caitlyn and Ryze grabbed their bags and headed out.

As soon as class ended, Ekko had grabbed Ezreal and headed straight out. Ekko told Ezreal on the way out, "We can't afford to be late to shopping, let's go roomie!"

Although the nearest grocery store was in the heart of Ionia, Ezreal once more didn't mind going through Ionia and seeing new places. They were about ten minutes out of the outskirts of Ionia, and they came across two rather large buildings with lots of merchant tents set up around it. It looked large enough to be a museum of some sort, but once they stepped inside the large building, they were entranced by what they saw. It was as if they entered a building that was ensconced within multiple other buildings.

"These must be those ' _malls_ ' that my mom told me to look out for! Incredible!" Ezreal looked all around to see a lage fountain in the middle of the first floor, where there were two divergent paths that separated the clothes section and the food section. Ekko told Ezreal to follow him, and they entered the very first shop set up on the left at the Clothes section.

"Ah, how are you doing today, Ekko? I see you brought company!" The manager had greeted Ekko as he watched both of them enter his shop.

"Hey Zane! Do you have those clothes I told you to reserve?"

The large man who wore a bright green apron that covered his body had laughed and checked under the register. He pulled out two long and bright pink and purple dresses. "Might I ask what they are for?"

Ekko stuttered. "Uhh…."

Ezreal stepped in and said, "He's shopping for his mom!"

The two of them looked at Ezreal with an awkward expression on their face, while Ekko tried to recover. Zane just responded, "Well…I sort of guessed you'd buy this kind of garb for someone who wanted to look sexy…Not exactly into any mom kinks but I'm just the seller I suppose haha!"

It was too late for Ekko to save face, so he responded, "Actually it's for a girl I like…"

"OH!" Zane scruffed his beard and stopped laughing. "Hah, I'm glad it is! I was close to getting some weird vibes about you there, Ekko."

Before Ezreal could question Ezreal, he grabbed the dresses and asked, "Do you think Janna would like these?"

"W-WHAT?!" Ez was taken by complete surprise. Out of all the girls that Ezreal had met at the Champions Academy, Janna seemed like the least interesting and social one in the mix. She never wanted to hang out with the people in the class and made it seem like she was above anything and everyone at the Champions Academy. Even Jayce had some decency, Ezreal thought. "How could you possibly fall for someone like her?"

"You don't get it." Ekko put down the dresses. "I mean, to be honest neither do I to some extent, but what she told me that first day really got to me."

"Hmm?" Ezreal couldn't recall Janna ever talking to Ekko at all. Then, he started thinking back to the first Training class where Ekko was outpacing everyone and the only two who were even close to his physical level were Ahri and Janna.

Ekko decided to finish the thought. "I was pacing myself perfectly, no mistakes were made on that entire course, and I felt down because I couldn't beat the record that was set a couple years ago. Janna walked by me and said, 'If you are so strong, why do you act so weak? Being a Champion means getting rid of all negative thought surrounding you and detesting all those who oppose you. Prove to me you deserve to be a Champion, boy!'

' _What…How is that remotely motivating or aspiring?'_

Meanwhile, Ekko was fiddling this thumbs. "I mean, the way she said it was really sweet if you think about it."

Ez sighed. "You had a really messed up childhood, Ekko."

Ekko bursted out, "BUT FOR REAL, DO YOU THINK THE PURPLE OR PINK WOULD LOOK BETTER ON HER!?"

Ezreal stopped him right there. "I don't think this is how you should show her your affection, Ekko. I mean, you don't even know her interests and you already want to buy her things?"

"Huh?" Ekko had no clue what Ezreal was talking about. "Isn't money the easiest way to a women's heart? I mean, this is only like 24, should I get a 40 instead?"

"Those are both less than a hundred?"

Ekko laughed. "Yea dude, only 24 Grand!"

Ezreal felt like he should be sighing, but it was harder and harder for Ezreal to be surprised at anything Ekko said or did now. "Of course…" He picked up by saying, "Honestly though, money can temporarily give you access to a girl but it won't grant you access to her heart."

"He's right." Zane leaned over on the register as he re-joined the conversation. "No amount of material goods will be the key to unlock a woman's heart. You gotta put your own heart on the line first!"

Ekko held a blank stare for a while before saying, "So I can still buy these dresses, right?"

Ezreal gave back the dresses to Zane. "I got this one, don't worry. Let's go Ekko." Ezreal took Ekko over to the central fountain, where there was a couple sitting by each other. "You see that over there? There's a couple perfectly content just holding hands because they enjoy each other's presence! Money has almost nothing to do with how you feel about someone, don't you get it already?!"

"I mean..." Ekko caught his breath after saying this and followed up, "Sort of, but I still feel like someone like Janna would prefer materials over signs of affection."

Ezreal laughed and said, "I actually kind of see where you're coming from now…Regardless, you should try and display feelings for her before spending money. You don't have anything to lose."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks Ez, that's all I really wanted to talk about! We should head back home."

' _What a knucklehead…I can't blame him though, his heart is probably cold and locked up after all the things he's experienced in his life. You've taught me a lot about myself, Ekko, so hopefully I can help you find yourself as well._ '


	17. Chapter 16 - Break away

It was 7 A.M. in the morning of the first day of training, and Ryze had been contemplating to himself what he should do with the students he would be training. He then thought back to Ezreal, and noticed how much potential he displayed during the Ruins Trial. In Ryze's mind, it left still so much to be desired, and he still imagined that the culprit was his feelings for Ahri. Although he didn't care to interfere with that for the time being, he had his mind set on molding Ezreal into the perfect student. Ryze had decided to call Caitlyn and get her to meet him at his office early in the morning so they could discuss the matters at hand. When she arrived, she was still in her night gown and drinking coffee with a drowsy and flustered look on her face.

"I may be getting older, but that doesn't mean I stopped enjoying sleeping, unlike you of course." She walked over to Ryze's desk and slouched over in his big chair. "Whadda ya want anyway?"

"I want Ezreal." Ryze opened up immediately.

"Hmm?" Caitlyn still wasn't thinking since she wanted to go back to sleep, but unintentionally she said, "Take him…I mean if that's what your into I guess…"

Ryze sighed. "I meant for training, Cait. I want him to come to me for his mastery class for the next few days instead of you."

Caitlyn finally got up straight onto her chair and asked, "What for? You know he wants to be a marksman, right?"

"I'm aware. Here's the situation that we're dealing with Cait." Ryze got up and also managed to get Caitlyn up to her feet. "This is the exact same situation with Terrence Ivanci's daughter, and we have the power to avoid it this time. Our mission here is to make sure that people are prepared when they enter the Rift, and both Ahri and Ezreal are stuck in their little fantasy world."

Caitlyn started to wake up more now that she understood the situation. "You're right, this IS the exact same situation, but I think you are looking at it the wrong way. Ezreal and Ahri on their own would both be problem children, but leaving them together has changed both of them in good ways that you don't understand."

Ryze stood face to face with Caitlyn. "Why is that?"

Caitlyn took off her hat and put it on his desk as she lowered her eyes. "We all have different goals in life, Ryze. I've known you for at least 15 years at this point and I know that you haven't changed one bit; for these kids, they are having life changing experiences every single day and are growing up. Maybe if you stepped out of your sphere of ignorance for a moment and started thinking about them instead of yourself-"

"Are you questioning my commitment to my students?" Ryze was starting to get angry after hearing Caitlyn say this. "I put my students well-being before myself EVERY DAY. Do you know how painful it was to see how I failed to protect Terrence's daughter?"

"That wasn't your fault!"

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" Ryze stamped his foot on the ground and walked outside his office. "I am your superior and I have made my decision. Whether you wish to comply or not matters little to me, but it will definitely hurt your chances of staying at this institute, Cait!"

' _What has gotten into this guy? He knows this will surely backfire…but I can't seem to stop him for the time being.'_ Caitlyn put her hat back on and exited behind Ryze. "I apologize, sir. I will see to it that Ezreal comes to you."

"Not only that…" Ryze continued where he left off. "But I will be transferring Ahri to you. I want you to toughen her up and do anything you can to get her mind off Ezreal."

Caitlyn clenched her fist in denial, but she knew that it was useless. "Okay…" Not knowing where this would go was not her worry, but undoing all the progress that Ezreal had made worried her even more. It was her intention to teach him that living for one's own self was destructive to the people around you, and she was somewhat successful and saw Ezreal start to mature more and more. Now, she had to wait quietly until the training had been completed to see if the results manifested would be desirable or not.

In the meantime, Riven and the rest of the girls in the 4A class had a meet up at Akali's house later in the afternoon.

"WOW, YOU'RE PARENTS ARE RICH AKALI!" Riven nearly dropped her bags in complete awe at the sight of Akali's home. It stretched beyond the horizon and looked spotless inside and out.

"Please just don't embarrass me in front of my parents…" Akali opened the door for Riven and asked her, "Do you know who else is coming today?"

Riven winked at Akali. "Everyone!"

' _E-EH!?'_ Akali couldn't imagine having so many different people in her house at once. Truthfully, Akali had actually never invited anyone to her own house because she didn't like having to host for people and potentially get in trouble with her parents. Riven had been able to convince the lot of them that training with each other and getting to know everyone's strengths would be good going forward, but there wasn't a great place to meet up on campus which wasn't crowded during the daytime. Since Akali was the only one who had a home close in Ionia, she was practically forced to accept.

Akali's house was right beside a shrine, and it had very similar architecture. There were screen doors all around the interior, and the only place that was separate was the dojo in the middle of the large residence. The two girls were soon met by Lux and Ahri, which meant that everyone except for Janna was there.

"I'm glad that we're not missing anyone important." Akali smiled as she let in the two girls, but Lux announced that Janna was just behind them a few seconds before. Akali uneagerly walked outside her front porch to see Janna sitting on the ground with her arms crossed. "…What are you doing?"

Janna didn't even open her eyes, but she exclaimed, "Did you come to pick me up, little girl?"

"What…"

Lux came to Akali and informed her that Janna didn't want to walk up the hill so Ahri had to carry her on her back the entire way up. Janna was wearing sandals and short jeans and looked as if she never let a spec of dirt touch her in her entire life.

"I'd rather die than carry your fat ass. Get up." Akali reached over and pulled Janna to her feet, but instead she blew a gust of wind at Akali's feet and knocked her over. "What are you do-" Before Akali could strike back at Janna, she looked at Janna's feet and saw that she was gliding in the air.

"I'm going to need to take a bath fairly soon after letting a pig try to wrestle with me. Now then…" Janna flew up the remainder of the front hill while Akali was screeching louder and louder right by Lux. Before Akali could lunge at her, Lux grabbed her backside and had to calm her down.

Ahri grabbed Janna's shoulder. "What are you even doing here? We know you don't care about making friends."

Riven got in between the two. "Don't let it get to you, girls! Whether we become friends is purely by choice here, nothing else. I'm sure Janna is just a bit shy is all!"

Janna set foot on the floor panel inside Akali's house and kept walking. "Please stop wasting my time. I'm here for training, and that's that."

None of them even bothered to disagree, so Akali came front and center and led the rest of the girls to the dojo. "This is a really important building used by my family and many people who have come to train their physical abilities. I want our training today to focus on sharpening our senses and our wits. There's equipment over in that closet that closet, but I need to go get the key. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Riven immediately went over to the boxing ring in the back right corner with Lux and challenged her to a duel. Lux felt a bit embarrassed and tried to back out. "Ahh, I'm really not used to this!"

"Oh, don't worry! I won't even throw any punches!" Riven took off her sleeves and threw her shoes behind the ring. "It'll be fun, just a show match to kick off the day!"

Lux quietly accepted and took off her shoes as well. "Uhm, I'm ready…I guess?"

"DING DING!" Riven chimed the bell herself and went full speed at Lux.

"W-WHAT?!" Riven swept Lux off her feet with a swift roundhouse and leapt on top of her. "EHH, I SURRENDER!"

Riven had a sour look on face and helped Lux back to her feet. "You need lots of work girl, but I believe in you!"

When both of them exited the ring, Akali had entered the room in a beautifully large blood-red outfit. She released her long flowing hair behind herself and pointed at Janna. "I challenge you to a one on one, Janna. This time, you cannot escape me!"

Janna sighed. "If you insist…What a waste of time." Janna had also released her hair and put bands around her arm. Janna glided into the ring, followed instantly by Akali jumping at her backside. "You think you're so special because you're of Ionian heir, don't you little girl?"

"SHUT UP!" Akali threw off her sandals and rushed straight to Janna. Without looking, both her kick and punch had been blocked by Janna. "What is this?"

Janna turned around and tossed her back. "What a shock, you aren't the only one who knows tai chi. You must be so distraught."

Akali put her right knee on the ground and put her mask on the ground for a second. "I'm done playing around with you, brat!" Akali flipped into the air and vanished in a large gust of wind.

Riven was amazed. "Whoa, she's incredibly fast!"

Lux chimed in. "Yeah, but where did she go?"

They both heard Janna scream in pain as she fell over on her back. Janna covered herself in a small gust and said, "Grrh…you need cheap tricks to fight me?" She slammed her fist into the ground to reveal Akali's location, and she immediately went on the offensive with a kick to her sides.

"I hate people like you." Akali slowly stabilized herself to her feet. "You think everyone in my clan rose to the top through a paycheck from their parents? I haven't had a single break from my training in over 17 years, and I'd do it all again to retain the honor of my family. YOU only got here on the whim on your connections with the institute."

Janna growled. "You don't know anything! Shut up!"

Akali kept shouting back. "You haven't had a single day of hard labor in your entire god damn life, you little brat! You don't care about anyone around you other than yourself. Even now, you detest being around people in your own class because you think you are above us. In reality, you are nothing but TRASH!" Akali started running towards Janna, while saying, "AND I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!"

Riven gasped. "This is about to get really ugly, we might have to step in."

Before either Lux or Riven could step close to the ring, Janna had pinned Akali to the ground. "It must be so nice to be able to have parents in the first place, right?" For the first time, Janna had been talking with discontent in her voice. "You had a brother too, right? You're the one who has it all, not me. I'm really jealous of you."

Akali groaned, "Get off me!"

Janna pinned her down even harder, locking down her knees and her hands. "You're right, I am a spoiled brat. I was born into wealth beyond imagination. I came here because I got special permissions from my Uncle who used to spar with Terrence Ivanci." Janna proceeded to get off Akali and walk out of the ring. "But don't get it wrong, little girl. I _have_ had to work in order to get to this level, but I can tell still that I'm nowhere on the same level as any of you. That's why I choose not to associate with anyone here until I can call myself an equal of you all."

Akali raised her voice even more. "What garbage is that?! You're clearly holding back still, so come back and fight be so we can settle this!"

Janna tied back her hair and opened the screen door and went towards the front where they all had entered. "I don't need to settle anything right now. It will all be clear on graduation day if we all deserve this or not." Janna immediately left after saying this.

Akali wanted to chase after her, but she lost a lot of her strength fighting with her already. Lux came up to Akali and told her, "I think you went too far. Yeah, she might seem like an awful person, but there must be something more to her than we are seeing for ourselves."

"What you see is what you get." Akali fixed her hair back up and sat down at the bench. "There is no excuse for the actions that she has taken, and I will not change how I feel about her unless she changes as well."

The atmosphere was a lot quieter now, no one wanted to continue to talk about what had happened but it was hard to let go. Hardly any of them had much contact with Janna in the first place, so it was a surprise she would show up to begin with. There was still more to learn about her, but it would likely only be during the tournament.

Riven had come over to sit by Akali and asked, "We should spar! You gotta show me how you did some of those airborn kicks, those were outrageous!"

While Akali was still heated, she put down her towel and followed Riven into the ring. Meanwhile, Ahri had taken Lux so that they could talk out front where no one could hear them.

Lux felt a bit shy around Ahri, so she just asked, "Well, what is this all about?"

"What do you think about Ezreal?" The question came out immediately, almost throwing Lux completely off guard. The two of them had understood that Ezreal liked both of them, but there was never a conversation between the two about how they actually felt.

Lux vaguely answered, "Well, he's a weirdo, and that's how I've always seen him. He's got an incredible spirit-"

Ahri interrupted her again. "Come on…you know what I'm talking about, right?" Ahri was blushing and couldn't look Lux in the eyes.

"OH!" Lux laughed to try and set the mood of the conversation. "I gotcha, you wanted to know how I personally feel. I've had a long relationship with Ezreal as a friend, and I recently had confessed my love for him actually…" Ahri looked really surprised, but Lux tried to pull back her statement slightly. "Ah, but I also told him it would be best we stay friends! I knew that I took Ezreal for granted and that he hadn't fully accepted me into his heart, so it was wrong for me to try and force my love upon him."

"I see…" Ahri followed up. "I've never loved someone, but Ezreal seems like someone I get along with really well. I'm not sure what to do, so I wanted to ask you."

Lux wasn't sure what to say exactly, so she replied, "I can't think there's any reason Ezreal wouldn't accept you, honestly. I mean, you're beautiful, you're caring, and it's obvious you wish the best for him. I know Ezreal is a bit of a knucklehead, but you shouldn't feel compelled to be the first one to confess your love. Let it ease in and slowly start to allow Ezreal to enter into your life, and I think that will make you happy."

' _Ezreal…has roamed inside my heart for so long, but now I have to wait for him to accept me. It's nerve-wracking, but it's what I must do.'_ Ahri smiled. "Thank you, Lux. You're the only one I could've talked to about this."

Lux grabbed Ahri's shoulders. "One more thing…" Lux started to look even more serious. "I really want to see you two together, even though I have feelings for him. If he even tries to break your heart, I will hunt him down personally for you."

Ahri laughed. "Come now, you don't need to go that far!"

Lux had laughed even harder. "As your friend and Ezreal's friend, I consider it my sacred duty!"

While both Ahri and Lux never saw eye to eye during their first few weeks at the Academy, they could start to feel for each other now that they had something in common. Although it started as something to fight over, it had evolved into something even more precious than before.

Ezreal, at the same time, was called by Professor Ryze on his phone. "Yes, professor?"

Ryze answered, "Come see me immediately…I want to talk about your training for these next few days."

' _What could it possibly be this time? No matter what, I have to be courageous and not be intimidated.'_


	18. Chapter 17 - Overdrive

"Welcome to Ionia, travelers!" The tour guide had waved out to the crowd of people who flew over to Ionia that day. In that group of hundreds of tourists and spectators were Ezreal's parents, who came to visit him on his very last day of training before the Champions Arena Tournament.

Walter had not visited Ionia ever since his time in the great war, and he did everything he could in order to forget about those times. It was hard for Kate to convince him to come visit Ionia ever again, but he thought that seeing Ezreal's progression was personally important to him. Walter and Kate held hands together as they walked outside while being escorted by a few guides to the open gate. They had both been greeted by Irelia, as she said, "Everyone, I welcome you all to our beautiful land of Ionia. Among some of the people here, I can already see a lot of familiar faces from the people who came here prior to the Institute of War. I urge you all to keep your emotions at the front door and please know that we are a nation undivided and training new champions every single day in order to protect the order of Valoran. To those of whom this doesn't concern, my guest Edina will gladly give you tourist locations and advice on what places to look out for in Ionia!"

Walter rolled his eyes while waiting out Irelia's speech, and Kate smiled. "You had a good relationship with Irelia, didn't you Walter?"

"H-Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Even though Walter looked flustered, he eventually laughed it off. "I mean, it is true that she was indispensable in ending that war. I fear for any future that involves Irelia on the opposite end of the battlefield; she instills fear into comrades and enemies alike. To be honest, I still am quite scared of her."

Since Kate had been studying for most of her time while Walter was at war, she hadn't made many contacts with people in Ionia. In addition, her work had never required her to come back to Ionia since there were never people looking to hire in any of the sub-regions in Ionia. The first time that Kate had met Irelia was actually after the war, when she came to visit Walter. That was many years ago, but Irelia still looks like she could pass for 25. Kate could tell that someone like Irelia, with all her passion and dedication to her craft and protecting her land, had most likely shown Walter her bad side on many different occasions.

Walter and Kate continued to walk together, as the crowd of people near them had been continually divided until there were roughly ten other people in their group walking with Irelia.

"Okay, so have you all se-" Irelia was turning around before introducing the Champions Academy, as she finally made eye contact with Walter. "W-What?!"

Walter shrugged. "Ah, I've been spotted…Uh, long time no see Irelia!"

Irelia walked up to Walter slowly, and started honing in her eyes more and more on him. "How could I have missed?! Your son is Ezreal of Piltover, right?"

Walter put one hand on his head while laughing and said, "Hah, yes he is." Then, he put his left arm around Kate and asked, "You remember Kate, don't you?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you again!" Kate extended her arm and shook Irelia's soft hand. "Don't mind this dork."

Irelia turned around. "I know him well enough already, but it is interesting enough to me that he managed to build up enough courage to marry you. Back then, he barely had courage to look another women in the eye."

Walter sighed once more. "So, you know my son?"

"Not quite, but I met him when he first came here. It interested me because I could tell he has a lot of raw power, but I know he still has much work to be done." Irelia had finished walking them to the road that parallel to the Champions Academy. "Anyways, this is the Champions Academy. I know some of you are parents, so feel free to walk around as you will. As for Walter and Kate, I'd like to see you two around here two hours from now if that's okay with you."

The two of them were unsure what she had in mind, but they felt safe knowing that Irelia was with them so it didn't take more than a few seconds for both Kate and Walter to agree to Irelia's request. Their first inquiry was visiting Ryze and Caitlyn, and then checking up on Ezreal since it was his final day of training before the tournament. Ezreal had no idea that the two of them would possibly be able to visit him, given that Walter's travel schedule meant that he couldn't even stay in Piltover for that long. Walter was amazed by the sight of the buildings inside the Champions Academy. "These structures are very impressive, but they don't seem like they were made by Ionian architects."

"You're right, we hired contractors from Shurima for those buildings, Walter!" A voice came behind both of them, and it was Professor Ryze standing there with his hands behind his back. "I've been awaiting the arrival of you two, I hope that I can show you what level Ezreal has made it in just a few weeks here. For now, why don't you two follow me to my office?"

They agreed and followed Ryze to his office, while noticing the fact that there was almost no presence on the streets. Kate asked, "Is it usually this quiet, Ryze?"

"Not particularly, but this is a very special week since tomorrow is the biggest tournament that we hold each year. Everyone is most likely at their own residence our out practicing their hearts out. I know Ezreal was out in the Lost Woods not too long ago, and I'll give you the chance to check up on him soon."

Walter immediately questioned, "How is he doing?"

Ryze opened the door, while faintly coming to a halt in his thoughts. "I'd say he's everything I imagined him to be, but he continues to surprise me every day. He's a sporadic and active kid for sure, but he has troubles knowing what he wants."

Kate added on. "Sounds like your average teenage boy!"

Ryze and Walter both felt that, and finally sat down. To begin the talk, Ryze gave them some papers to sign off on which consented that they are under the care of the Institute of War for the next few days. It was Ryze's hope that if he won over the trust of Ezreal's parents that it would give him a clear path to turning Ezreal into his ideal student without any possible obstacles left. Ryze showed him pictures of the first class, and also some pictures of Ezreal's Rift Project.

"Walter, look at how adorable he looks in that outfit!" Kate pointed out the few pictures Ezreal had while he was first debuting in the Temple Ruins.

"Every part of Ezreal and his passion is reflected very well in all of this it seems. He's strong, he's ambitious, and he's incredibly reckless." Walter closed the open file and said, "Yeah, that's my boy."

Kate inquired about the tournament. "So, you know how traditional the two of us are when it comes to physical combat, but how exactly do you plan on administering these fights if they don't occur in some sort of virtual reality like the Summoner's Rift?"

Ryze answered immediately. "It may seem concerning to parents obviously, but we think that the students are the best at judging whether they have the will to continue fighting or not. In addition, we have top security officials and match administrators to cut the fight in case it gets much too lethal."

Kate stood up with her hands on Ryze's desk. "What kind of answer is that?!"

Walter tried to calm her down and put his hand on her back, and she slowly stood back down.

"I'm really sorry, Kate. Truthfully, we've tried to see if this tournament could work the same way in a Rift-type setting, but it would take away from the reality of the situation that this combat is still very real and everyone should be prepared to fight as if they were on the frontlines of war. I protect my students with all my strength, and I will do my best-" Ryze was stopped by the door opening and Caitlyn walking in.

"Sorry, I know I'm late sir…" She didn't open her eyes as she was downing her coffee until she realized that both the chairs had been occupied already. "Oh, is this a bad time?"

Before Caitlyn exited, Ryze had asked her to stay. "I actually think you're the ideal source here, Cait."

Caitlyn had also realized that it was Walter and Kate who were sitting down, and she instantly came over to hug Kate with all her might. "OH MY GOSH, I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"

"I DID TOO! WE HAVEN'T TALKED IN SO LONG!" Kate and Caitlyn had a very long history together, and went to the same school where Caitlyn had decided to become an officer for Piltover. They had done some court work together while they were still in school, but had very few opportunities to meet after they went their separate ways.

Walter also knew Caitlyn personally, but that was only after meeting Kate before he entered the war. "It's comforting to see people from Piltover up here! How has it been, Caitlyn?"

Caitlyn went over to Ryze's chair and gulped down the rest of her coffee. "It's been very rewarding. I've worked with a few different classes now, and all of them have very impressive potential marksman."

Piltover wasn't very much known for producing great marksman compared to a lot of other nations in Valoran, so having Caitlyn while she was in Piltover was comforting to a lot of the younger generations and often seen more as a 'big sis' to many instead of an authoritative figure. Caitlyn wasn't interested in working in law enforcement, but she thought of it as something necessary to protect her people. She had managed to be accepted by the Institute of War as a teacher about ten years into her time as a Sheriff, and it was much more ideal for all parties involved since she could teach people like Ezreal how to be an effective marksman while not having to worry about any conflicts with her work.

Kate, of course, had to ask the question, "How many girls is Ezreal talking to?"

It actually took Caitlyn a while to answer this question, since she wasn't quite sure. "One, at least that I know of. She's currently my number one trainee, and she gets along very well with him."

Walter thought, ' _Hah, that damn kid never told me! I can only wonder what he's like if he inherited my traits…'_ As Walter continued to think, he opened, "Shouldn't we make a U turn back to the original topic at hand, Kate?"

Kate assured Walter, "How can I not be concerned about that kid? Do you remember how YOU were when we first met?"

Walter facepalmed. "…Yes."

Kate and Caitlyn laughed hard. "We can talk about again later over drinks I'm sure, but it's a fair cause of concern."

"I thought he was going to be impossible Kate, but he's made progress." Caitlyn knew that Ezreal had some care for others around him finally, but at the same time she hadn't seen him in three days now and knew Ryze would try to get underneath his skin. It was a shot in the dark now whether Ezreal was where she wanted him to be. "As you said though, we can talk about all of that later. I know you're mostly concerned with how this tournament is being ran?"

"Well…a bit. I find it a bit odd that there isn't really officiating to determine when a match is over. You know how berserk and stupid that kid is, right? He'd continue to fight until he broke every single bone in his body, and then more!"

Caitlyn never registered that in her head when thinking about the rules. "You have a great point, but Ezreal seems a bit more modest with his power. Given that most of his early matches will be easily decided, he will get an idea for how much of his strength he truly needs to exert. I've also seen him become more modest, which actually worried me for quite a while because I couldn't tell if he was putting on an act!"

Walter finished, "Well, I'll make sure to pound more sense into him when I find him. Speaking of which…where is he?"

Ezreal had walked over to a tree and leaned back. "Ghh…I can still endure more!"

"Come now, you've been practicing too hard!" Ahri was scolding him, as she noticed his energy had been depleting at a very fast rate. "Your toughest matches should be at the very end, right? You also won't have to fight someone with my speed most likely, so you'll have the advantage in the most important areas."

"It's not enough!" Ezreal went straight back to Ahri and practiced more punches, which Ahri had blocked with her tails over and over again. He motioned for a kick, but Ahri had grabbed his knee and pushed him to the ground. Her claw was right at Ezreal's neck.

"You see? It's not about how long you practice, but how much you put into it when you do it. You'd be dead right now if I was the enemy." Ahri sat down next to him and continued to nag at him. "Not only that, but I hate to see you like this, Ezreal."

"Why?"

Ahri didn't know how to reply. She said, "Because you're better than this, and seeing you hurt isn't easy…"

"You say that as if…" Ezreal thought about it for a bit, but neglected the thought as he heard a voice yell from the horizon.

"EZREALLLLLLLLL!" Ezreal was instantly dove onto by Walter, who was proceeded by Kate.

Kate separated the two and hugged Ezreal tightly. "Aww honey, I hope you didn't get hurt by that! We're so glad to see you finally."

Ahri stood there in confusion as she tried to connect the dots, until she realized that Walter looked almost exactly like Ezreal, matching his frizzled blond hair and facial expressions. Ezreal got back up to his feet and said, "I wasn't expecting you two here of all places…Um, this is my classmate, Ahri." Ezreal stood by her as both Kate and Walter inspected her with great suspicion.

Kate blushed, and said, "Don't tell me…"

Ezreal replied, "Huh?"

"YOU IDIOT!" Walter laughed greatly and slapped Ezreal on the back. "Didn't I tell you that you weren't allowed to have a girlfriend without my permission?!"

Ahri covered her face with her hands. "AH, IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"

Kate grabbed her hands and said, "I can't imagine Ezreal being able to talk straight to such a beautiful girl, I feel so relieved!" Ahri smiled back, and Kate noticed that she had cat ears. "You're a demi-fox, aren't you?"

Ahri quirked, but she nodded her head. "There are not many like me, even in Ionia."

Walter had also started walking towards Ahri, but he stopped and grunted. ' _KYA, what is that insane aura I feel around me? It's coming from that fox girl, isn't it?'_

"Dad, what's wrong?" Ezreal came over immediately, and Ahri was just standing there cautiously looking at Walter. "You shouldn't scare me like that, Dad!"

It took him a bit to come to his feet, but now he could finally open his eyes and see very clearly a blue flame circle around Ahri, but it was more like dark energy emanating from her. It didn't take material form, but it stopped Walter from moving.

As soon as Ahri realized what was happening, she rapidly toned down her magical power and felt a big pain in her head. "S-Sorry about that, I'm not sure what got to me. I get really scared whenever a large presence of magic enters my area and I lose control a bit."

Walter got off and shrugged while sorting out his muscles. He knew immediately that Ahri was the demon fox that Terrence had told him about many years ago. It concerned him slightly, but Walter knew that she was not the enemy, so he calmed down. "Well then, Ez, your mother and I just wanted to come and check up on you since it's your last day before that tournament. I'm excited to see just how you will perform!"

Ezreal smirked. "Finally recognizing my strength, old man?"

"Haha, we'll have to just see about it. If you win it all, I promise that I'll never bug you again about wanting to join the Institute of War. However, if you lose, I'm gonna make you work for me!"

Ezreal disregarded Walter. "Bet whatever you want, there's no way I will lose. Even if I face Ahri, I'll win for sure!"

Both Kate and Walter laughed so hard, since they could tell just from being around Ezreal and Ahri that the power level difference was enormous. Kate still wondered if there was anything going on between the two, but she didn't want to embarrass Ezreal any more at this point. The two of them had waved and said goodbye, and Ahri felt a bit of relief because she had Ezreal to herself once more. "Your parents seem nice, Ez."

Ezreal shrugged. "Yeah, I'm pretty connected to my mom but I always feel like I have to prove something to my Dad. I hope that I can fight you in this tournament and display exactly how far I've gotten!"

Once more, Ahri felt embarrassed. "Ah, I'd prefer to just not fight anyone in our class ideally, especially you Ezreal."

Ezreal turned around and held his fist out to Ahri. "Show me your guts!" Ahri looked a bit confused, so Ezreal added on, "I hate it when people hold back who they are, and I know you're still hiding something from me. I want to see the true Ahri in this tournament…so promise me you'll show me your guts!"

Ahri didn't realize it until now, but Ezreal seemed wary around her lately. In order for her to win over Ezreal as she wanted, she had to take Lux's advice and let Ezreal accept her into his heart. So, Ahri put out her fist towards Ezreal and smiled confidently. "Okay…I promise!"

Ezreal decided that he would leave for now, and Ahri laid down by her big tree and looked at the sky.

Ahri started talking to herself. "You already know how I feel…I'm sure of it, Ezreal."

She thought back to the many times that Ezreal and Ahri were together, and just how much Ezreal had made her open up. Yet, it seemed that there was something Ahri couldn't offer to him yet that she needed to finally prove.

"That's why I will not be afraid to trounce you or anyone in this tournament. You'll see the entirety of me…and maybe then you will see my love."


	19. Chapter 18 - Destiny

Everyone in the 4A class had shown up very early in front of Runaan's Hall, where they were all escorted into groups of two into black cars with Ionian emblems painted onto them. Ezreal sat with Ekko, who was blasting music into his large and overly-expensive headphones. All Ezreal had brought with him was his backpack with clothes and a few other key items of his. He knew that this time when he was going to Ionia, he was not there for sightseeing, but for achieving his dream. There was nothing hold back Ezreal anymore; victory was the only thing that he could care for now.

The driver tried to converse slightly with Ezreal. "You're class 4A, right? Ryze told me a good deal about you bunch!"

Ezreal replied, "Yeah, our class is pretty strong I think. I want to see how the other classes stack up to us."

The driver laughed, and introduced himself. "Quite confident that you're the better class, I love it! You may not know me, but I was a few classes under Professor Ryze and I became his student after leaving the Institute of War. You can just call me Rafa."

"Well Rafa, I just have one question for you." Ezreal looked outside the window as he saw the beautiful Ionian shore and people running all around the beach. "What is the point of the Champions Academy, anyway?"

Rafa was confused. "I'm not sure where exactly you're coming from, but I can tell you that the Champions Academy is highly important."

"Ryze told me that almost all of the Champions in the Summoners Rift to date could've gone without the Academy. The way I see it, it's a waste of time for those who want to just become Champions, don't you think?

Rafa laughed, and said, "Ahh, it looks like you developed some of Ryze's tendencies while being in his class! I love that old geezer, but more often than not I disagree with how he thinks of the Champions Academy. Just last weekend actually, I had some coffee with Terrence and we talked about how the Institute of War is changing and that there needs to be similar changes in other places. We both agreed that the Champions Academy was a place for young ambitious people such as yourself can start to experience a new life and mature more and more."

Ezreal persisted. "Why does any of that matter? In the end, we are all being graded on if we are a worthy champion, not if we are an adult."

"Once more, you must understand the history of the Institute of War." Rafa coughed as he remembered the original five who represented the Institute of War. Rafa explained, "During those times, all the authority was given to those five and many decisions had torn Ionia apart from each other and created a divide in the populous. The purpose of the Institute of War was being tarnished, and many rebel groups had been assembled to destroy the Institute of War because they felt that it would be a catalyst for an even deadlier war than the last Ionian War. People came into the Institute of War only wanting to fight, and never understanding how to settle disputes. I'm sure you know by now that being accepted into the Institute of War isn't just stepping on the Rift and battling against a bunch of people, but taking on newfound responsibilities to protect Valoran. More than ever, we need people who are responsible."

Ekko took off his headphones for a second as he was listening in, and he chimed in. "I think Rafa is right, especially after talking to some other people in management last night."

Ezreal closed his eyes. "Is that why all those people died in the first Ionian War?" He started to increase his temper slowly as he continued, "The Institute of War just needed to give people history lessons and attitude training, and no one would've died?!"

Silence enveloped the car for the next few seconds, and Rafa now realized where Ezreal was coming from. He said, "There's more to it than that, of course. Entering a new responsibility like this requires something unique-"

"You didn't answer my question." Ezreal sharply interrupted him. "Thousands of native Ionians and even people from my nation died fighting in the war, including my own father who barely escaped death. Would the current Champions Academy have stopped people from fighting and losing their loved ones?! Were they all meaningless sacrifices in your eyes?"

Rafa sighed. "Okay Ezreal, I know that this means a lot to you so I'll break it down for you. Like every decision made since the inception of the Institute of War, our utmost priority is to protect our precious citizens and spread peace in Valoran. We have failed many times in the past to create positive agreements with other nations because of the balance of power between all our nations. The Summoner's Rift isn't the only means by which we try to achieve peace in the Institute of War, and you surely know this. Terrence and I, along with the majority of your staff at the Champions Academy, agree that the best way to achieve our objective of protecting this land from danger was through the establishment of this Champions Academy. Explaining the rationale behind this plan is useless until you live through it."

Ezreal detested, but it was pointless for him to continue arguing so he dropped the conversation entirely. ' _What a joke. Since I have gotten here, all I see are empty promises.'_

No one wanted to talk for the next half hour in the car ride because of how hostile the environment became. Rafa didn't mind it; he was happy that he was able to lend his two cents on an important topic. Even when Ezreal and Ekko had left the car and been escorted into the large hotel, no words were spoken. Everyone soon met up in the lobby of the hotel after receiving a group message from Ryze.

Ryze handed out everyone's own personal key card. "You need to keep track of this key card at all times during your visit for the next three days. They will not only give you access to your room, but also entrance into The Colossus where the tournament will be commencing. It is a five-minute walk from here, and I've sent directions into the group message I created. Caitlyn, if you want to explain the rest…"

Caitlyn was straightening her hair and barely noticed her name had been called. "Oh…right then. You all need to take the placement exam, which will be open for the next hour. You'll sign in over at The Colossus and they'll take you to a practice room that has the same technology as our Summoners Rift, and then you'll be seeded based on different types of performance and benchmark tests. You'll have approximately 2 hours afterwards while you're ranked to have some free time. You won't get many other opportunities for the rest of the tournament, so feel free to roam around check out Ionia."

Riven got up in the group of them and said, "We should all get a big team dinner!"

Ezreal walked straight past them and went to the front. Ahri was confused, but followed him to the front. "You don't seem like yourself, Ez. What's the matter?"

Ezreal's face was blank with expression, as he looked around to see the vast land of Ionia that he once wanted to wander through. The vast mountains had been preceded by rushing waterfalls had shot so high in the air that clouds surrounded their mid-point. Villages were tightly packed around the peaks of mountains and were surrounded by rich cherry blossoms. It was afternoon, and the sun had been shining down on them through gaps in the mountains. Everything had exceeded what Ezreal imagined Ionia would look like. And yet, Ezreal was looking at the high reaching building just down the small path in front of him – The Colossus.

That's when Ezreal began to walk and said, "I've had my eyes off the prize for so long, and nothing can shift my focus now that I am finally here."

Ahri grabbed his hand. "Why do you have to walk this path alone?" Her grip was weak, but Ezreal didn't resist. "I've gone down the same path as you, and it scares me to think what might happen if you throw it all away."

Ezreal could feel Ahri on his back now, and her cold hands extending down his shoulders. He said, "Well...I might be convinced otherwise, but you still have to show me your guts." Ezreal turned his head and winked at Ahri. For the first time, Ahri was more flustered emotionally than Ezreal and didn't know how to respond. Before she knew it, Ezreal had been running down the hill towards The Colossus.

"You confuse me still, Ezreal." Ahri laughed silently as she put her hand to her heart. "But I think that's why I still follow you, because you continue to interest me. If it is resolve you want, then I will show you my power this tournament."

The day was winding down, and everyone had completed their placement exam. Instead of going out with the others, Ezreal sat in a large tree just outside The Colossus as he waited for it to open once the announcement was ready. He could feel his phone buzz, and he opened his eyes knowing exactly what that meant. The long doors has automatically opened, and he walked in to the large square arena that had encompassed the central part of The Colossus. This arena had historically been used for battles for high caliber warriors in Ionia to determine rankings, and has been used ever since by the Institute of War. To Ezreal's surprise, Ahri had been the first one there and he sat by her.

"How long have you been here, Ahri?"

"I've always been here, Ezreal." She laughed, although Ezreal didn't understand her at all. The two of them sat there for a while as they continued to wait for the rest. Ahri asked, "So, I've been meaning to ask you…Do you have any plans immediately after the tournament?"

Ezreal crossed his arms. "I didn't think that far ahead in advance, so not really."

Ahri smiled, "Ah, I see. Well, I'd really like to show you some places that are really precious to me once we're done!"

' _If I could get him there…I could finally confess to him._ '

Ezreal couldn't escape the fact that he really liked Ahri, and always enjoyed being around her. It took a lot of willpower already for Ezreal to resist Ahri in any way possible. He said, "I think…I'd like that."

"R-Really?!"

Ezreal smiled, while attaching conditions to his reply. "Only if you beat me, of course. I'll do whatever you want if can actually manage that."

Ahri's leaned in closer to Ezreal with a dirty smug on her face. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into, Piltover boy. _I'll be keeping my eyes on you!"_

Ezreal would usually feel nervous, but he was confident in his response. ' _You are my first and last obstacle, Ahri. You might be individually stronger than me, but this championship is my destiny. I will never lose.'_

The entirety of the 4-A class had finally entered the arena and came over to their class bench. The entire place could cover probably hundreds of thousands of people, but it was being filled up at an immense pace. There were four other classes that would be competing in this tournament to not only prove which class is the strongest comprehensively, but who was the strongest potential Champion in the entire Academy.

A soldier with gold plated armor and angelic wings had entered the ring. The soldier thrusted their sword into the ground and called out to the audience with a microphone, "Greetings, and good afternoon to everyone." The soldier took off their helmet to reveal bright yellow blond hair and jet blue eyes. "I am Kayle of Demacia, and I will be administering and casting your 23rd Arena Tournament of Champions here at Ionia's own Colossus. It is a privilege to be here and witness Champions in the making, and it is important we recognize where we all came from. As such, I'd like everyone to turn their attention to my far right, where our 63 current Champions of the Institute of War currently reside."

The applause came almost immediately, thundering from all directions as people yelled out their nation's Champions. Ezreal's eyes lit up with awe as he saw the crowd of Champions wave over as the spotlight came over them. ' _Those are the Champions…Incredible.'_

Kayle continued. "Our work is never-ending, for we believe in the defense of the citizens of this land and every nation in the world. For the students competing today – you will all hopefully witness the fruits of your labor come into completion no matter what the end result may be. You have been accepted to the Academy as a recognition of your talent and potential to become one of us. I humbly wish all of you the best of luck as we proceed to reveal everyone's seeding placement and commence with the tournament."

A gigantic monitor had lit up from the overhead at the eastern entrance of The Colossus. It had everyone's Champion Profile picture and a number that had been randomizing for a good thirty seconds.

The monitor finally came to a rest, and loud roars came from everyone at all four class benches. Ezreal saw his number, and didn't flinch at all. It was like he predicted the future in that moment, while everyone still couldn't believe it.

The No. 1 Seed was none other than Ezreal from Piltover.

Ryze sat back in his seat in his lounge as he watched the reaction of all his students in the 4-A class. ' _Show me your strength and everything I've taught you, Ezreal.'_


	20. Chapter 19 - Watch Me

' _I've finally made it to this day…and it's even better than what I imagined_.'

Ezreal stepped up to the center of the Arena where he was announced to the live audience at The Colossus as the Number 1 seed, herring from class 4-A. The average rank in his entire class was high, and the personal competition he faced would be tough no matter what later on in the tournament. The seeds from top to bottom for the 4-A class were 1 for Ezreal, 3 for Ahri, 4 for Ekko, 5 for Riven, 6 for Pantheon, 9 for Jayce, 11 for Akali, 12 for Garen, 18 for Janna, and 23 for Lux. Ezreal didn't flinch or bat an eye from seeing these rankings, because it meant that it was that much easier for him to prove himself once he beat people from his own class.

The tournament seedings had been entered into the main program, and everyone's matches had now been on display.

"HELL YES!" Pantheon hurled his fist into the air as he noticed that him and Jayce were on opposite sides of the bracket. "You better make it to the finals Jayce; I want to pulverize you in front of the whole world to see!"

Ahri looked at her schedule, noticing that she was in the same bracket as Pantheon and would fight him if they both reached the quarterfinals. "How unfortunate for you, Atreus."

Pantheon's heroic expression turned into complete despair as he realized this. "YOU…CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"

Luckily for Ezreal, he was on the opposite bracket of Ahri. Having to fight her early in the tournament wouldn't feel right, no matter what the result.

Ezreal's match against the Number 64 seed from Class 1-A was the first match to open up this tournament.

Kayle waited for both of them to enter the Arena and shake hands. "Our Tournament of Champions shall open here. Ezreal, a Piltover native from Class 4-A and your tournament's Number One seed shall face off against Taric, a guardian of Demacia from Class 1-A and the Number 64 seed. I will make judgments on whether a match must end in case one of the fighters takes lethal damage. Remember that inside this ring, you may use any sort of craft or skill you have molded for yourself via your Champion Profile, and weapons that have been cleared by the committee. Anything outside of this is considered illegal and will get you immediately disqualified from the tournament. If you two have no questions, I will begin the match."

Ezreal was standing straight forward and looking at Taric, who looked tremendously flashy. He wore sparkling armor and held a crystal mallet in his right hand, along with a shield in the shape of a diamond on his left arm. Neither of them had responded to Kayle.

"Take your places, fighters! On my mark…"

' _Watch me, Dad. I will show you here why I will surpass you. Watch me, Mom. I will prove to you that I've learned how to fight on my own. Watch me, everyone…'_

"BEGIN!"

' _Because…this time, I won't let anyone walk over me.'_ Ezreal backflipped while spinning his right arm in a circle. In a second, he flashed like a bolt of lightning behind Taric and knocked him to the ground with a devastating kick to the side.

Taric was standing on one knee, and looked over as Ezreal got closer to him. He slammed his mallet on the ground in front of Ezreal and froze his feet. "You may have gotten the jump on me, but I am a Demacian warrior trained in the art of Close-Quarter-Combat. If you try to stay near me, I will smash you into a million pieces!"

Ezreal blinked away once more and winded up his bow. "I don't need to get close to you to win this fight." He shot off three arcane bolts, which were all blocked and reflected by Taric's shield. "So you can hide behind that shield, eh?" Ezreal started running forward with his mystical bow out, while tapping into more of his energy.

"I told you to get away from me!" Taric slammed on the ground and created a path of ice shards that rose from the ground, but Ezreal had vanished again. "W-WHAT?!"

"DODGE THIS!" Ezreal re-appeared right in front of Taric, and launched his Trueshot Barrage. Taric flew backwards, losing both his mallet and his shield.

' _Everyone who stands in my way is an obstacle to my journey, and I will continue to run forward until I reach the end.'_

Kayle went over to check on Taric, and his armor had been pierced in many places. "Taric can no longer fight in this condition. The winner of this round goes to Ezreal of Class 4-A!"

The audience applauded loudly, and Ezreal's mother was especially loud. She was sitting by Walter in the same row as Terrence and Ryze. This was the first time that Kate had actually seen Ezreal in combat. Walter had seen Ezreal fight before, but on a much lower scale than before. Ezreal derived most of his arcane magic from his father's side, so Walter could feel from the time that he visited him that he had grown considerably stronger.

"I feel like he is hiding a lot of his strength, don't you think so Ryze?" Walter was fascinated at the skills Ezreal had developed for himself, but it didn't exactly match what Walter expected from him.

Ryze immediately answered, "He only used a small fraction of his power here, maybe even less than 20%."

Kate noticed it too. "He's a knucklehead, so I'm sure he's only going to use 100% in his toughest battles. Although, something different about Ezreal is that he doesn't even look like he's happy with his flawless result."

Walter shrugged. "He probably gets that from me, don't you think babe?" Walter laughed, although half-heartedly because he didn't like the fact that Ezreal was more like him than his mother. Walter was also a big troublemaker at his age, and often didn't think thoroughly through his options. Without having Kate by his side to guide him before and after the war, Walter might've struggled to maintain a calm attitude. Something very similar about Walter and Ezreal is that they hate losing with a burning passion, so anything other than absolute victory felt like a complete failure.

"You remember what Irelia said, right?" Kate thought to herself about some of Ezreal's classmates, and remembered seeing Ahri with Ezreal when she first came. Irelia invited Walter and Kate for drinks to talk about some pressing concerns she had about Ezreal's class. One issue that had been brought up a lot was Ahri, because she was ordered to be captured long ago for her dark powers. Demi-Foxes used to be plentiful in Ionia especially, but many of them died during and after the war. Many Ionians thought that they could not trust Ahri because she had an intense hate for humans. Irelia didn't have much to say on the situation, other than she is one particular student to look out for in this tournament. Caitlyn had also insinuated that Ezreal and Ahri had some sort of a relationship, though it wasn't clear to Kate or Walter what kind of relationship it was. "Do you think it's possible that Ahri and Ezreal are somehow influencing each other?"

Caitlyn looked over to Ryze, who was signaling to her that she better not say anything. Instead, Ryze cut off Kate by saying, "All the students in the 4-A class have some sort of friendship, but nothing past it."

Walter thought Ryze was lying, but didn't care enough at this moment to reply. He was more concerned that Ezreal would do something irrational because of his pride, not because of a female in his class.

"WELLL WELLL WELLL!" A loud voice came from the corner ring of the arena. "What a match to start off the tournament, a clean win for the top seed from Class 4-A! Please excuse my late arrival folks, your glorious commentator of the best tournament this land has to offer is here!" Everyone in The Colossus looked all around but couldn't see where the commentator was, until he finally hopped into the middle of the ring and waved to the audience and shot his pointy ears to the sky. "Yes folks, as you can see I AM A YORDLE! I am Xeno, formerly the 2nd Chief in Command of the Kinkou order, and now I commentate tournaments for a living."

Janna looked at it with disgust. "Is that thing a talking rabbit?"

Lux explained, "Yordles aren't exactly hybrids of animals…well, at least most of them aren't I think! According to Ryze, most yordles are descendants of Vastaya."

"Anyways, I will be doing some deeeeelightful commentary on matches from now on! Fan satisfaction is my nummmmmmber one priority, so you can count on me to really spice up the tournament!" Xeno held his hands in the air, but people didn't applaud at all. Some just awkwardly looked around The Colossus while waiting for the next match. "Geez, tough crowd! That's AYYY OOOOOKAYYY THOUGH! Before the end of today, I hope you will all be my number one fan. NOW, LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE WITH OUR SECOND MATCH OF THE DAY!"

Ezreal looked at the rest of the schedule for round one, and saw barely any interesting matches. The next match was the 32 and 33 seed, which ended up being dragged out forever for so long because neither fighter could keep each other down. It was painful for Ezreal to listen to the play-by-play commentary when almost nothing was happening in the fight except for flailing back and forth.

Ekko looked over to Ezreal as he was dozing off. He said, "Are you at least going to cheer on our class, Ezreal?" Ekko said this as the fifth match rounded up and Jayce was reading himself up to get into the arena.

Jayce hunched over to Ezreal while carrying his large hammer on his back. "You better watch me, Ezreal. You'll get your first chance to see genius in action!"

Although he didn't really want to, he decided to stick around to see just how much some of the people in his class fared against the other top classes.

"LET'S GET THE SEVENTH MATCH ON THE WAY, FOLKS! From your top-averaging class taught by Professor Ryze, it's Jayce!"

Jayce waved to the crowd of thousands with his shining smile that gleamed across the sunlight. "Please, hold your applause for the performance you will witness today!"

"AAAAAND FROM THE 2A CLASS, THE REBELLIOUS AND…uh, tell me if I get this wrong…SuperUltraMegaDeathBringerOfPiltover, it's JINX!"

A small girl with long blue twin tails walked into the ring with a rocket launcher in the shape of a shark on her backside. She bent over to Xeno and stole his mic, while shouting, "THAT'S THE FANTASTIC SUPER ULTRA MEGA DEATH BRINGER OF PILTOVER TO BE EXACT!"

Lux was shocked at the sight of Jinx. "That girl…how did you end up here? She's too dangerous for this place!"

Riven looked over to Lux with her usual questionable look. "Do you know her?"

"Hardly. I've seen her on the news as being a wanted terrorist from Pitlover."

Ekko chimed in. "I heard from Ryze that she was given a chance to reform by the Institute of War. You never know how hard it could be to find an explosives expert, don't you thi-"

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Lux stood up, and continued, "How could you not be slightly bothered by this situation at all? She's in the same ring as one of our classmates!"

Ekko continued to not look disturbed. Instead, he said, "Shouldn't you be hopeful for Jayce's chances of winning?"

Slowly but still with anger, Lux sat back down and watched.

Xeno stepped back in slight fear as he reached back for his mic. "A-Anyways…LET US BEGIN!"

Jayce immediately switched his Mercury Hammer into defense mode, which clocked it into a cannon. "You seem like a long-range fighter with that weaponry of yours. I'll make sure to keep my distance and end this quickly."

Jinx sat down and yawned. "Are you done talking yet?"

Smirking, Jayce charged up a blast while saying, "Gladly. FULL SHOCK BLAST!" An ocean blue ball of energy shot itself right toward Jinx and exploded on impact. Jayce blew the smoke away and started walking off the arena as he thought the match was over.

Xeno dashed over to the smoke to confirm that Jinx was down, but he was blown backward by an even bigger impact. "WHOA, I THOUGHT IT WAS OVER BEFORE IT BEGAN, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE JINX IS USING HER ROCKETS TO FLY INTO THE AIR!"

"WHAT?!" Caitlyn looked into the air and saw Jinx standing perfectly onto a missile that was flying diagonally over the arena. "How in the world did any of these weapons get approved by the committee?"

Ryze explained, "The only banned weapons from this tournament are ones that artificially enhance one's own strength or present greater than lethal power. If the player was able to explain how they crafted their weapon and prove it would not present an immediate threat, their weapon would be allowed."

' _I understand the rationale by Terrence and many of the others for letting her re-enter society this way, since a girl like her is still dangerous even behind bars. Yet…how could they let this pass by?'_ Caitlyn got up and started walking away. Ryze decided it was better not to stop her.

From the center of the arena, Jinx was now hovering directly over Jayce. "HAHA, you really I'd get hit by something like that? Now that I've seen what that hammer of yours does, I know exactly how to stomp you into the ground." Jinx pulled her rocket launcher out and pointed it at the ground. "SAY HI TO FISHBONES, M.C. HAMMER!" A gigantic rocket with cartoon-like images all around it shot down at Jayce at incredible speeds. He had almost to time to react.

"Agh…DEFENSE MODE!" Jayce slammed his hammer into the ground and created a fort of metallic hammers in the same shape as his Mercury Hammer. As the missile landed, it blew right through his defense, forming a pink gaseous mist of skull and crossbones over the explosion. Jayce fell backwards and could barely get to his feet.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME, FOLKS! Are you watching the same match as me?!" Xeno started to really get into his commentating, as he continued to step back from the arena. "Class 2A's Jinx has all but turned around this battle in less than thirty seconds!"

Pantheon jumped out of his seat and yelled out, "YOU DAMN IDIOT JAYCE!"

Jayce was still on his right knee as he was breathing in and out super hard. "W-What…do you want now, Atreus?"

Pantheon was gripping the empty chair in front of him with full force as she shouted back, "HOW CAN YOU LOSE HERE, IN THE FIRST ROUND? Are you willing to finally admit that I have surpassed you THIS EASILY?!"

Hearing this, Jayce got to his feet. "Pfft…you underestimate me again?"

Xeno announced, "It looks like 4A's Jayce has finally come back to his senses and is ready to fight!"

Jayce pointed at Jinx. "Hey you…I know you're a techy person like me, but I never get to show my real guns. How about we stop messing around and fight each other like true warriors?"

Jinxed laughed. "You think this is some kind of joke?!"

Jayce smirked as he kept walking towards Jinx. "Come now, how are you going to rely on those guns all throughout this tournament? Your strategy is unreliable going forward!"

Jinx got back out her rocket launcher and rushed towards Jayce. "Are you mocking me?!"

' _Got you…_ '

Jayce reached into his pocket and said, "Checkmate." Jinx stepped onto a part of Jayce's broken metallic hammer and it exploded on impact and sent Jinx flying.

She landed on her back, and was shaking all around, but she was giggling too. "Hehe…hehehehe…"

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Xeno came over to Jinx, who was completely immobilized but still laughing so hard as if she had won the fight. "Jinx is under some uncontrollable laughter right now?"

"EXPLOSIONS! WOOOOOOSH! KABAM, KAPOW!"

Xeno shook his head while saying, "I think she's a bit out of it right now, but I cannot call the match without further knowledge."

Now, Kayle stepped forward to check out the situation. She noticed that Jinx's legs had completely given in, but the shock of the blast actually excited Jinx and sent a rush of adrenaline into the rest of her body. "She cannot fight anymore, I am calling this match here. The winner is Class 2A's Jayce!"

Jayce waved as the crowd cheered on for him, and Pantheon was still yelling at the top of his lungs to congratulate his rival. Everyone at the 4A bench were on their feet and cheering on Jayce as he exited the arena, except for Ezreal. He got up from his chair and left The Colossus without anyone noticing him.

' _None of this is worth my time. They don't pose a real challenge to me in my state.'_ Ezreal jumped up into the large tree and laid down on the big branch. As he started dozing off, he remembered what Ryze had told him.

' _Those Champions and the Institute of War are only looking at raw skill, and that's how it has always been. They don't care what classes you are passing if you are a warrior of high caliber. At the end of the day, all they see are the results that appear right before their eyes. That is why you need to let go of your friendships, even temporarily, if you are going to rise to this challenge and show you are worthy of being a Champion.'_

"What are you thinking of now, Ez?" Ezreal heard a voice very close to him, and he opened his eyes and saw Ahri encroaching him.

"W-WHAT?!" Ezreal fell off the tree and bumped his head into the base of the tree as he looked up. "Ow, damn it! Hey, what were you doing just now?"

Ahri jumped down, saying, "Oh, I just wanted to see how you'd react!" Ahri was still as playful as ever around Ezreal, always demanding more and more attention and getting into his head. Ahri continued, "Also…I'd really like it if you'd cheer me on for my first match!"

Ezreal crossed his legs while still rubbing his head. "Okay, I guess." In an instance, Ahri grabbed Ezreal's hand and ran to the front entrance. Ezreal for a moment was reminded of his time with Lux when she came to Piltover and took him to the mountains. That day, Ezreal felt something pulsate inside him that made him want to become an explorer. Although, Ezreal had become a bit more stubborn ever since coming to the Champions Academy. Ezreal got back in his seat next to Ekko and Lux and watched as Ahri slowly descended into the Arena.

"THE LAST MATCH OF THE DAY, LET'S MAKE IT ONE TO REMEMBER PEOPLE!" Xeno gave his usual entranc announcements. "From 4A, the Demi-Fox Ahri!" Ezreal barely noticed, but Ahri looked especially serious. Her ears and tails, usually fidgeting around and calm, had stopped and stood straight upwards to the sky. Her eyes looked similar to when she had revealed her true form to Ezreal.

"AAAAND WE HAVE 1A's RUTHLESS PREDATOR, RENGAR!" Rengar leaped into the arena and growled out violently to the crowd.

"Hah, what delicious prey 4A has gifted to me. I will make sure this ends quick, hahaha!"

Ahri replied, "Be careful what you wish for."

Xeno yelled loudly one final time, "BEGIN!"

"GUAHHHHHH!"

Ezreal stood up instantly, eyes widened and a small shock going through his body. "You're…kidding…"

Ahri had dashed instantly to Rengar as the announcement was called, and pierced through his chest with her claws. She threw him to the ground and turned to her left where she stared directly into Ezreal's eyes.

"Oh…that was…a one hit knockout!" Xeno was taken by complete surprise and had no idea how to commentate that. He looked over at Kayle, who didn't even bother to check Rengar's body since she knew there was no way he would get up from a hit that deadly. "Well…in record time, CLASS 4A's AHRI WINS!"

Ahri whispered into the air, "Were you watching me, Ezreal? I hope you continue to watch me, because I will continue to show you how serious I am now. This is what I fight for now."


	21. Chapter 20 - Awakening

The tournament officials had finally closed for the first day of tournament matches, guiding everyone from all 4 classes back to their hotels. Ezreal was caught by Caitlyn by the entrance and told to stay with her for a brief meeting.

Ezreal accepted, but he had no clue what he was being stopped for this time. "What'd I do this time?"

"Nothing, really. I thought it was just important I congratulate you on your first match." Caitlyn smiled and started walking away. Ezreal knew something was up, and persisted.

"I know that look in your eye, don't take me for an idiot. What's going on?"

Caitlyn tossed over a piece of paper, her back still turned to Ezreal. "I had a short meeting with Kayle and the rest of the Champions in the Institute of War. Every year, we like to draft an end of the day ranking score sheet based on what we saw here today."

Ezreal checked down to see his name directly under Ahri. Even though he was initially seeded two spots higher, the council almost unilaterally agreed that Ahri was stronger than Ezreal. "Why…"

"Why did I show you this?" Caitlyn turned around and looked down at Ezreal, who was shaking with the paper in his hand. "If you want to ever achieve victory in anything, it's important you accept small victories as well."

Ezreal tore the paper in half. "They haven't even seen me at my best, this means nothing!"

Caitlyn shrugged and continued to move on. "Ryze isn't allowing me to coach you this tournament as per his decisions earlier, so I'm getting an old friend of mine to knock some sense into you. She'll arrive at your room early in the morning tomorrow."

' _Number…2…'_

All Ezreal could see in his head were people laughing at him in a crowded circle, back when he was still in elementary school. Even though Ezreal was very smart for his age, he was never the best at anything. All his exclamations of excellence made him a target for people to pick on, and it made Ezreal grow a severe superiority complex. If he wasn't better than people at something, he got extremely angry at himself. Throughout his entire life, Ezreal lived in the shadow of his father, who was similar to Ezreal but actually was considered the best arcane magic wielder at one point. The only person around him when in elementary school for the most part was his uncle and his mother. Neither of them could convince Ezreal to let go of his self-destructive personality, so instead they tried to let Ezreal be independent and work things out on his own. If it were not for Lux, there's no telling where Ezreal could be currently.

Ezreal finally ran all the way back to 4A's hotel, where he saw everyone once again huddled in the lobby.

"Oh hey, you finally came around Ez!" Ekko waved over to Ez and came to him. "We were just in the middle of doing some strategizing for the big day tomorrow. You should join us!"

As Ezreal thought about it, he didn't get to see most of the matches so this would help him get a small refresh, so he agreed.

Garen was on the couch pouting next to Lux. "I worked really hard to get such a high seed and I threw it away in the first round. I'm a disgrace to my people!"

Lux said, "It's okay bro, I thought you looked really good. That opponent you fought looked really dangerous."

Janna agreed, "Talon is a Noxian assassin, he was actually initially recruited by Lord Darius before deciding to come to the Champions Academy."

"How do you know this?" Akali crossed her arms as she stared at Janna, now thinking suspiciously of her. "You have so much insider information, how do you get all of this?"

Janna closed her eyes and threw back on her chair. "Why do you care? I have sources, and I want to use them to help my class. You're too stuck up for your own good, little girl."

Riven stopped Akali before she got angrier. "Alright ladies, let's get back on track! If I win my next match, I should be up against that guy in the third round so I'd really like some help!"

Ezreal joined in, "The only problem is…the only sword wielders we have here are Riven and Akali, right?"

Garen stood up silently and walked away without looking back.

Ezreal looked over to Lux, who had her hands in her face. "Is he okay?"

"He also was a sword wielder…" Pantheon couldn't help but laugh since most people had no idea what kind of a fighter he was before this tournament. Ezreal felt guilty, but laughed it off as well. "Something odd about Talon is that he doesn't fight up close. In his battle with Garen, he just wore him down and took him down in strike. You have to take the fight straight to him, I think."

Riven was a clumsy fighter, but people still feared fighting her because of her relentless nature. Ezreal would eventually meet her in the tournament if both of them kept winning, so she had to keep an eye on her. Ezreal spoke up and asked, "What other notable people were out there today?"

Jayce was writing something in his notebook before going back one page. "1A's Olaf is the #2 seed in the tournament, and he absolutely crushed his opposition. He wields two axes and just beats the enemy into submission. I noticed that he's weighed down by his armor, so that might give an advantage to fighters with high mobility. What did you think, Janna? You are in the same bracket as him."

"Not a threat." Her response was confident and immediate.

"Speaking of which…your fight today…" Jayce remembered Janna's fight because it was the most confusing battle in the entirety of the first round. Janna was floating in the air and just laying out while sending out wind blasts with her right hand. They didn't seem powerful, but it was enough for her to wear down the opponent. "I checked onto your profile, and it looks like you built a fairly defensive kit. I thought one of the girls told me you were highly skilled in physical combat?"

Janna startled, and crossed her arms. "I…I don't wish to use my fists in combat. Please just let it go."

Everyone who saw Janna had to make a double take, because Janna looked like she was shivering from Jayce's question even after she answered. There was something that the notorious stuck up girl was hiding behind her appearance it seemed. Yet, no one dared to ask.

"Well then…" Jayce coughed as he looked at the other few pages. "I think it's getting pretty late, don't you all think? It's also going to rain soon so we should all go find something to eat in the nearby town and get rest. We can talk about the rest when we go back tomorrow. Unless anyone else has anything to say, I'm going to go lie down for a while."

Almost immediately, everyone had started dispersing. Ezreal walked outside to the moonlit glow of the Ionian fields. It was still surreal to him that he was in this position, and he wanted to take every advantage of it. "Even if it's just for one night…" Ezreal went over to the edge of the hill and lied down on the soft grass.

' _Caitlyn said…someone is going to visit me tomorrow? If I had to guess, it must be someone from the Institute of War. Regardless, I'm set on this new path for now.'_

"I forgot how nice it was…" Ezreal heard Ahri's voice again right beside him, but this time he didn't open his eyes. She was just sitting on her knees right beside him on the hill. "Being able to enjoy the atmosphere of a peaceful night, in such a beautiful land at that."

"Yeah, it's nice." Ezreal pushed himself up with his arms and looked over to Ahri. "You seem different, what's up?"

Ahri asked, "What will you do after this tournament, Ezreal?"

Ezreal didn't think that far in advance. He started out by saying, "I don't know what happens after winning, so I guess…I just want to make sure everyone sees and recognizes where I've finally gotten. Of course, I told you before that I'm not certain what my path has in store, but I know where it should lead me."

Ahri asked again, "You seem to care a lot about how others think of you. Why is that, Ezreal?"

It wasn't easy for Ezreal to just explain his past as if it was just a series of clips from his life, because it was more than that to him. It was something that had shaped Ezreal for so long. His answer was simple, "I'm weak. I've always been weak, and because of that, I haven't been able to do things that I have really wanted to do. Even now, I still think of how far I must go in order to break this feeling."

Ahri thought to herself, ' _Weakness…is a curse?'_

Ezreal stood up now and put his hand forward to the sky. "I feel like I need it more than ever, now that I finally have the opportunity to become a champion. Of course, I want other things too, but I don't want to be gifted anything. I must take control of my life…because that's what it means to be strong."

Ahri replied, "W-What else is there that you want, Ezreal?"

Off the top of his head, he listed, "I want to be a part of a society I love, be surrounded by people who I admire and be a symbol of strength for people, and of course I would need the love of my life by my side to support me."

Ahri felt happy inside, since now she felt like Ezreal was truly talking from his heart. "You don't know this, but I've always kind of wanted the same thing, except…I don't know how it will ever happen for me. It seems like I've always been destined to live alone from everything that has happened to me in the past. Even so, I'm really happy that I'm here right now by your side, Ezreal!"

Ezreal nodded to Ahri. "I know you'll be able to achieve it all, because you have a strong will and a heart full of compassion inside of you."

Ahri was blushing hard, and tried to hide her face from Ezreal. She looked up as she felt a rain drop on her head, and said, "It looks like the weather came earlier than expected…It's a shame, but we'll have to probably end here."

"Yep, it seems so. Alright then-"

"Oh, wait!" Ahri grabbed Ezreal's shoulder and stopped for a moment. "Uhm, this is a bit sudden I know, but do you think…I could…sleep with you tonight?"

Ezreal's eyes nearly popped out of his eyelids. ' _Is…she asking...WHAT I THINK SHE'S ASKING?'_ Ezreal could picture Ahri's seductive eyes in his mind, while doing unimaginable things to him while the two of them would be alone.

"N-NOTHING LIKE THAT! You and I share a special bond and I don't want to ruin that."

' _Is she saying that she shares a meaningless bond with people that she seduces?'_

Ahri continued, "I've been having trouble sleeping at night, and I really hate the sleeping quarters that they assigned to me. Beds feel awful to sleep on as a half fox! So, I really just want to…"

Ezreal breathed in a sigh of relief, and said, "I guess for a night…I don't want either of us to get in trouble since I'm sure all of the teachers and staff would get upset."

Ahri nodded, "Yeah, just one night!"

' _That devious look from Ahri is coming back…I'm not sure about this, but I can't go back now, it seems.'_

Ezreal led Ahri back into his room and Ezreal took off his brown jacket as he just hopped on his bed. "The rooms are definitely pretty small, I still haven't gotten used to it."

Ahri sat by Ezreal with her back turned to him. "Rooms in general feel too tightly packed for me. I'm too used to sleeping wherever I please in the forest."

Ezreal didn't realize until now, but Ahri was wearing her red and white kimono that she first showed Ezreal when she explained that she was a demi-fox. "Have you always had that dress, Ahri?"

Ahri replied, "No, it was actually hand-crafted from Jirou. It is the last remnant that I have of that man."

Ezreal was confused. "Wait…didn't you meet Jirou 14 years ago?"

Ahri lied back. "I've actually been able to manage it myself. This bell and tassel I have here on my chest were actually infused with a magic that allows me to change my outfit slightly."

The only things that Ezreal had seen Ahri wear were her school outfit and her kimono. "Huh, so do you just always wear that dress outside of school?"

Ahri giggled slightly. "Not quite, actually. I don't really like to wear clothes when I sleep."

"EH?!"

Ahri couldn't hold her laugh. "I'm joking! I can sleep fine with it on since it's really comfortable and allows my tails to flourish."

Ezreal started to feel more and more tired, so he threw off his shoes and turned to Ahri's side. "Hey, I think I'm gonna get some rest now. There's a couch over there if you'd like."

"Alright then. Sleep well, Ez." Ahri jumped off his bed and took a pillow with her to the couch. She took off her pink sandals and lied down on the back end while looking out of Ezreal's window. ' _I'm inside, and I still feel cold…'_ She tried to shake it off, but it felt like the chill has gotten underneath her skin. She turned her body upwards and looked at Ezreal, who was already fast asleep. Quietly, she entered Ezreal's bed on the right end and slowly tucked close to him.

' _He's so warm, that feels really nice!'_ Ahri could feel Ezreal's heartbeat as he breathed in and out. ' _He's really cute when he's sleeping too…'_ Ahri snapped out of it and decided to just lay close to Ezreal as she fell asleep as well.

A minute later, Ezreal barely opened his eyes to see Ahri cuddled up right next to him. In shock, he moved back, but noticed that she was already asleep. ' _I knew it would probably come to this.'_ Ezreal was entranced by her beauty. He slowly placed his hand over Ahri's long black hair and softly grazed her fox ears. ' _Ah, I should stop. Who knows what might happen if I wake her up like this?'_ So, Ezreal took back his hand and closed his eyes.

Ahri was smiling in secret, as she opened her eyes. ' _Tehee, you could've done anything and gotten away with it, Piltover boy. You really do have a pure heart._ _I might just ruin you if I stay by you for too long.'_ Ahri moved in closer to Ezreal and cuddled up next to him. ' _I will resist the urge to do anything else, so long as I can share this moment with you, Ezreal…'_

Both Ezreal and Ahri finally started to fall asleep.

The morning came, and a loud knocking came from Ezreal's door. "W-What…is it?" Before Ezreal had even realized it, Ahri was laying on top of him with the blanket folded over them. His first impulse was to gently push Ahri to his side, but he grabbed her bare breasts. ' _WAIT…WHERE'S AHRI'S DRESS?!'_

Naturally, Ahri moaned slightly and the knocking came to a stop. The door swung open to a commanding voice, saying, "What in the world are you doing this early, Ezre…uhh…" It was Caitlyn who had entered his room, and she stood there while trying to comprehend the situation.

Ezreal screamed, "AH, I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE GOT HERE!"

"Huh…" Caitlyn rubbed her eyes and took off her hat. "I need to get more sleep, I could've sworn Ahri was right on top of…" Caitlyn opened back up her eyes but still saw the same image. She continued, "...Oh, she really is. I…just came to tell you that your new trainer is downstairs waiting for you. Sorry for the interruption." Caitlyn slowly exited, as Ahri finally woke up.

"Hmm?" Ahri looked down at herself, realizing that her dress had been pulled down to her waist. "W-W-WHAT?! You…you really did something to me!?"

Ezreal jumped out of the bed immediately. "I didn't do anything! I woke up and you were right on top of me. I only faintly remember watching you asleep right beside me."

Ahri pulled back up her dress while still feeling slightly embarrassed. She teased him, "Your body must've finally given in to your lustful thoughts, I guess."

' _I did feel myself pulling on something in my dreams…'_ Ezreal got on his jacket and picked up everything for his backpack. Ezreal had opened up the door, and Ahri asked him to wait.

"Huh? What now?"

Ahri said, "Thanks, Ezreal…This really meant a lot to me."

Even though Ezreal was still not so ecstatic about how his morning was going, he nodded and smiled. ' _This day can't possibly get worse, so we're good!'_

The one who was waiting for him at the very bottom of the stairs was a woman who he hadn't seen in a really long time. "Ah, there you are finally!"

Ezreal was in complete awe. "Irelia? You're the one that Cait sent for me?"

Irelia stood up and pumped her arms. "Absolutely I am! I am in great debt to Caitlyn for all the things she does around Ionia and for the Institute of War, so this is the least I can do. I'm mainly here to help you train your mentality going forward, so I won't be doing too much hovering over you."

Ezreal felt happy that he had Irelia as a temporary mentor, because she used to be an exceptionally strong Champion and now resides at the top of the forces in Ionia. Ezreal asked, "I'm okay with anything if it comes from you!"

Irelia took him outside. "I'm glad you're being compliant, that's all I can really ask from you as of now. Going forward, things are going to be a lot tougher in the tournament and you're going to need to adjust a lot. Caitlyn told me you skipped out on watching most of the matches, and I felt extremely disappointed hearing that."

"What? Is that what this is really about?"

Irelia shrugged, saying, "Not in the slightest, Ezreal. I think, however, it's an important part of your mentality that you accept where you are currently before you can go on to achieve bigger things. Your father suffered from the same mental barrier that you currently have, but it's fairly easy to get over."

Ezreal wasn't in a place to disagree with Irelia. "What do you want me to do?"

Irelia replied, "Simply, take each round at a time as if was the last match you would ever do battle in."

"Okay, I can do that!"

Irelia persisted. "One more thing…"

"Hmm?"

"You are friends with Ahri, right?"

"Well, of course!"

"Please protect her." Irelia's advice was so out of nowhere; it came as if it was a warning for an oncoming attack onto Ahri, but Ezreal didn't feel like that would happen. Before he could even ask, Irelia said, "I need to attend an important council meeting before the tournament starts, I will find you after your match! Good luck!"

"H-Hey!" Ezreal wanted to stop Irelia, but she was already out of his sight. "What did she mean?"

Ezreal was greeted by Jayce, followed by the rest of the class. "It's a big day, hotshot. You ready?"

Ahri was in the back of the group, and she smiled as she looked at Ezreal. He gave a confident look and said, "I'm always ready!

Jayce started running, saying, "GOOD, BECAUSE WE NEED TO GET THERE FAST TO CATCH BREAKFAST!"

Ezreal stomach screeched at the sound of food. "Ah damn, I just realized I didn't even eat last night! YO, WAIT UP!" Everyone followed in suit, running downhill all the way through the muddy and wet fields that led to The Colossus.

Ezreal thought to himself, ' _I have new expectations now, and I know for sure you're looking at me now, Ahri. You're stronger right now, but I'm running fast to catch up to you!'_

At the same moment, Ahri was thinking, ' _I know that I've made the right choice. I've seen your true emotions, and they were better than anything I could've imagined. I will be here waiting for you until the end. Today is truly my new awakening.'_


	22. Chapter 21 - Clash

A/N: Chapters are going to be shorter than usual due to time constraints. Next few ones are going to give personal backgrounds to characters from 4A

It was the second day of the biggest tournament in all of Ionia. Ezreal once more entered the arena, watching the thousands of people cheer him on as he stretched out and waited for the opening announcements to end.

Ezreal was up against the 32 seed from Class 3, which heralded most of the other top seeds in the tournament, including the number 2 seeded Olaf. The man stepped into the arena and spun a staff around his head. "Hehe, you're the number one seed, right? If I take you down here, then that should easily crown me the unofficial champion until I knock the rest of your class out!"

' _I can't slack anymore if I want to prove people how absurd their power rankings are. I'll fight as if this was the final match if I must!'_

"Well then…Let's begin ROUND TWO OF THE SECOND DAY! Ezreal from 4A versus Jax from 3A. Now…BEGIN!"

Jax leaped into the air towards Ezreal and smashed the ground in front of him. Ezreal jumped backwards quickly and shot of three arcane bolts. Instead of dodging, Jax spun around his weapon in a circular motion above his head. "Looks like you didn't do your homework, Ezreal! I can dodge any non-magic ranged attack by spinning my staff like this and then send it back with twice the damage towards you!"

"Then try THIS!" Ezreal shot off a big essence flux, but Jax blocked it with his lamp on the end of his staff. "Are you kidding me?!"

Jax laughed even harder. "You just don't learn, do you? Maybe my empowered blast will knock some sense into you!" Much faster than before, Jax slammed Ezreal on the head and sent him rolling across the arena.

Kate gasped and held Walter's hand tightly. Ryze saw both of their shocked looks and assured them Ezreal wasn't even trying yet. "You're going to see what Ezreal looks like when he's angry for the first time. Watch closely."

Ezreal jumped up to his feet and wiped off blood from his mouth. "Heh, I can see you're not complete trash…but I'm still going to put you in the dumpster where you belong." He then bumped his knuckles, and they lit up with flux energy circling around his fists. He started charging up a large arcane bolt.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Jax knew that this was Ezreal's best attack, so he leaped onto him before he could finish channeling it. Ezreal shifted out of the way, and launched it off. "You really think that'll work against me?" Jax spun his staff around the front of his body, but Ezreal dashed behind him and slammed him in the back while he was busy with Ezreal's barrage in the front. Jax was hit badly from both angles and fell over.

Kayle walked over to Jax, and announced, "He can no longer fight, this match is over."

Kate finally sat down a breathed a sigh of relief. "I shouldn't have gotten worried of that kid so easily. Even seriously unbearable pain wouldn't be able to break his spirit. That's just how he's always been."

Walter added on, "It's why I don't want him to join the Institute still. Although his perseverance is a gift in and of itself, it is his downfall."

Caitlyn could tell that both Walter and Kate could read Ezreal like a book. She had the same vibes from Ezreal for so long, and it seemed like this tournament was bringing some of the worst out of him even after making great improvements all around.

"Well done, Ezreal!" Irelia came out from her seat near other council members to congratulate Ezreal. "Sorry again that I couldn't talk to you before the match. I know that you're strong on your own, so I didn't think you needed my help to win this match."

Ezreal thanked Irelia and walked back over to his class. "Can I talk to you when you are free?"

Irelia accepted. "I won't be free again until the end of the second round, but of course. I'll meet you at the entrance."

Now, Ezreal sat down by Jayce and Ahri and watched the matches. It was odd for Ezreal, because Ahri was dead silent and Jayce was anything but dead silent. Jayce gave his personal analysis on every single move he saw and predicted what would happen based on every thought he gave. Pantheon made it even worse by calling out Jayce on everything he disagreed with, which caused even more ruckus. It wasn't until it was time for Ekko's match that Jayce finally stopped talking

"What's wrong, Jayce? You're getting tired already?" Pantheon nudged him in the shoulder.

"Quite the opposite." Jayce motioned over to his eyes as if he was moving glasses that he didn't wear. "I've perfectly analyzed Ekko already, so I know the outcome of this match already. Ekko will start out by blinking all around to throw Xin Zhao and force him to bring out his crescent sweep, and then he will discharge all of his energy onto him, thus resulting in a perfect win."

"I doubt it." Janna replied immediately. "You're not factoring in how much of an idiot he is."

Jayce sighed. "Do you ever have anything positive to say about your own classmates?"

Janna asked Jayce, "I don't know, do you ever shut up?"

It took him a while to turn around, but Jayce replied, "I just think it's odd that you talk a tough game but you've yet to impress in this tournament."

Janna stepped up and walked away.

"H-Hey, where are you going?"

Janna replied, "I didn't ask for this."

Once more, Janna finally started showing a much more vibrant part of her usually dull personality. No one could figure out what any of it meant, and they didn't want to approach her about it since she scared most of the people in the 4A class.

Then, the announcement came booming in. "THE SIXTH MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND! Ekko of 4A versus Xin Zhao of 3A. BEGIN!"

As predicted, Ekko started blinking around to try and get Xin Zhao to chase him. Xin Zhao just stood there blank faced without moving an inch.

Ekko stopped blinking and called out to Xin, "Hey, what gives?!"

Xin got angry. "You think a foolish trick like this would catch me? You insult me!"

Ekko laughed, "Why not come scold me over here, if you can even reach me that is!" Ekko was gliding all over Xin, before he finally started to run out of stamina and fell to the ground. "Ah…crap."

Xin charged. "TASTE THE BLADE OF DEMACIA!" As he charged, Ekko was hitting his Zero-Drive suit and managed to start channeling his Chronobreak. He splashed the ground and blasted Xin out of the Arena.

Xeno yelled out, "It looks like we have our first OUT OF BOUNDS VIOLATION in this tournament! As per the rules, anyone 20 meters outside of the zone is disqualified. THE WINNER OF THE SIXTH MATCH IS EKKO!"

Jayce was puzzled. "Did he…"

Ekko walked over to his class and smiled. "What did you guys think?"

Ezreal also had a dazed look. "You didn't plan any of that, did you?"

Ekko turned his head over. "Hmm? Oh that fight? Nah, I got really lucky!" As he sat down, he asked, "Where's Janna?!"

Akali said, "Hopefully as far away as possible."

Ekko looked steamed. "Knock it off already! I know you have beef with Janna, but she's our classmate too, you know!"

"Why do you care?"

Ekko grunted angrily, and said, "You of all people should know context matters. Not everyone came to the Champions Academy by their own consent. Janna in particular…"

Ekko recalled the first day that they came to The Colossus and Ekko invited Janna to dinner. Ekko had originally intended to talk to Janna about how he felt, but it turned into something very peculiar. Janna was barely poking at her steak and Ekko was hammering it right down his stomach, and then he asked, "You don't seem too hungry, are you not feeling well?"

"Hmm…" Janna dropped her fork and ignored Ekko.

"Well, I mean," Ekko was eating while talking and waited a few more seconds to talk again. "Food aside…I think it'd be cool if I could get to know more about you."

Janna yawned. "I'm more boring than you think."

Ekko laughed in reply. "Haha, you always seem so gloomy in and outside of class. I bet that you're still really happy to be here though, right?"

"No, I hate it here."

The conversation came to a complete halt as Ekko gulped the last part of his steak. "Y-You mean that?! Can you explain a bit more?"

Janna looked out the window. "I really don't think it matters, but you're just going to annoy me more and more until I tell you, I guess. My Uncle is a good friend of Terrence Ivanci, and he made a bet with Terrence that he could produce a Champion out of his little niece about 20 years ago. He took me away from my parents when I was 3 years old and threatened to kill me if I disobeyed."

Ekko's jaw dropped to the floor. ' _H-Holy shit…'_

Janna continued with an even more glum look on her face. "I was his pawn for my entire life, and I haven't been able to escape him no matter where I go or what I do."

Ekko asked, "Why haven't you told anyone?"

Janna curled her hair behind her, while thinking. "At first, it was because of his looming presence. Now, it's because it doesn't make a difference. Even if I went straight to Ryze and told him of my situation, it wouldn't suddenly heal all the scars he's given me or give me my parents back. I decided that when I came here that I would disassociate myself with everyone and just be an average student. I also promised to myself that I would never use my fists for combat, because I refuse to appease to that disgusting human being of an Uncle."

"I'm so sorry Janna…I thought my past was pretty bad, but it's nothing compared to your story."

"I don't want your appeasement either, Ekko." Janna put her napkin on her plate and crossed her arms. "I know you want to be friendly with me, and that's sweet of you, but I just really don't care. Like how do you not get it? Ever since day one, I've wanted you all to hate me just so that you could leave me alone."

Ekko closed his eyes and said, "I can't do that. I know that feeling you must have, and what it is like to be separated from the ones you love the most. No matter what you say, I'll definitely help you!"

Janna smiled and said, "You're an idiot, you know that?" Janna left the table and winked at Ekko while saying, "You said you'd pay for my portion, right? I'll see you tomorrow at the tournament. You better not disappoint."

Ekko looked over at the large tournament monitor to see that Janna's match was up next.

"Ahem…THE SEVENTH MATCH!" Xeno shouted across the stadium with his ever so loud yelp. "JANNA OF 4A, AND YASUO OF 1A. BEGIN!"

Akali looked over to Ekko, and said, "I was obviously wrong about Janna, and I feel bad. That said, what exactly are you trying to save? She said it herself, right? Janna wants to forget that she ever had to come here."

"Maybe you're right, and I'm just an idiot. But she reminds me so much of me, and I can't let it go. I came to the Champions Academy thinking I'd just get by as well, but I didn't realize how much fun it was being with everyone and learning from you all. Janna hasn't even gotten the chance her entire life to have a true friend because of all that she's been through. At the very least, even if I'm wasting my time, I want to show her what it feels like."

Janna formed a small tornado in the center of the arena and whirled it all around Yasuo. "A controller of the wind, eh? That makes two of us!" Yasuo sliced the wind and created a barrier out of air to protect himself from the tornado. Janna split the tornado into two and crashed it onto Yasuo on both sides.

"You might be able to manipulate the wind, but unfortunately for you, I command these winds." Janna pointed her staff forward at the wall and blasted it, blasting Yasuo out of the arena.

"ANOTHER RING OUT! That ends the match, the winner is JANNA!"

As Janna came back over to her class, she waved at Ekko. "What did you think, Ekko?"

Ekko gave her a thumbs up. "Not too bad! Although I can't wait to see you against an even matchup!"

Akali couldn't believe what she was seeing. The most stuck up individual in their class, who never showed any sort of emotions before, was smiling and laughing beside Ekko. ' _What is happening here?!'_

Janna sat beside Ekko and said, "I'm weaker than you think. I guess an idiot like you would believe anything if it involved a pretty girl though, am I right?"

Ekko laughed it off, and thought to himself, ' _I wonder what it would take to unlock that broken side of yours. That immense physical strength I heard that you have…I really want to see it.'_


	23. Chapter 22 - Vitality

The second round of the Champions tournament had come to an end, and thus only 16 contestants remained. Out of the 16, 8 of them were from class 4A.

Kayle and Terrence Ivanci came to the center of the Arena to make an announcement. Kayle handed over her microphone to Terrence as the entirety of the Colossus exploded in cheering for the president of the Institute of War. Terrence was idolized by many youth in Ionia for his contributions to ending the war between Noxus and Ionia.

"Ahem…greetings, everyone! Today marks the end of the second preliminary round. Your 4A class taught by Professor Ryze is soaring to the top of the rankings with a collective 52 points based on record and performance. The next closest is 2A with 30, which means that class 4A will be participating in the first signing. Please help me in honoring this prestigious class which has made history in Ionia's Collosus today!"

The eight remaining members of class 4A stood proudly, while Akali and Garen were both sitting down with shame. Riven nudged over to Akali and said, "Don't sweat it girl! Everyone in the class gets to be at the signi-"

"I don't deserve to become a Champion." Akali immediately cut off Riven. She folded her hands and held them close to her face. "I've brought incredible shame to myself and my family. I can't see myself recovering from this."

Riven sat by her and hugged her. "You can't beat up yourself this much, Akali. Everyone here is incredibly talented; there is no shame in losing here."

Akali could feel tears run down her face, but she didn't even move her hands. "I was the prodigy child…My parents would always boast to everyone how special I was compared to all the other ninjas at my age. I had literally everything I needed to become the best, and I have nothing to attest to it anymore…"

Janna could see in the corner of her eye how bent Akali was, but she looked back over to the crowd and wondered, ' _Is this what we really fight for?'_

As the classes exited after Ivanci's final remarks, Ezreal went straight to the second exit on the right where he knew Irelia would be. She was waiting there, as expected, and waved at Ezreal.

"You aren't going to jet on me this time, are you?"

Irelia laughed. "I don't have any more obligations today, so feel free to ask me whatever you want."

Ezreal and Irelia walked and talked as they went on a secluded path towards the outskirts of Ionia. "What was it that you meant when you told me to protect Ahri?"

"Oh, right…" Irelia realized just now that Ezreal, since he was not a native Ionian, he had never heard of the stories of the nine-tailed fox. "I know it was very abrupt and lacked explanation. This entire story dates back even before me, so you'll have to be patient."

Irelia explained that before the last Ionian war against Noxus, there was an even greater threat to the security of Ionians. It was a myth that originated about 100 years ago, but became a reality about 17 years ago. It was early in the morning on the weekend, and the gate was being closed because of warning signals all around the town. A dark figure with nine-tails had lashed out and ravaged almost half the village in the matter of minutes. It was impossible to defeat, but it retreated after the Kinkou order had sent a few Ionian champions to combat it.

Ezreal started shaking. ' _N-No way that could be…Ahri…right?'_

Irelia continued, "We believe that this was caused by a descendant of the demonic Kitsune of ancient tale, but we have no conclusive evidence that this same demon fox was Ahri. Despite that, there are many rebels in the Institute of War who want to capture Ahri and detain her before another tragic event happens inside Ionia. I told you to protect Ahri because…I honestly don't know how long it will be until someone in the Institute of War tries to go after her."

"Why me, though?"

"It's simple, right? I've talked to Ahri before, and it's clear as day to me that you are the only one that she can trust. It's extremely vital for the security of my nation that you help protect her."

Ezreal could start to feel pain from remembering Ryze's words as they trained together. Ryze had worked hard to make Ezreal forget about Ahri and make him become independent.

' _YOU DON'T BELONG TO HER, AND SHE MEANS NOTHING TO YOU. EACH LASTING SECOND YOU SPEND WITH HER ONLY MAKES YOU WEAKER, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?'_

Ezreal felt as if he was bleeding internally the entire time. It was his first genuine connection that he had established with someone outside of his mother, and it was being torn apart as Ryze beat Ezreal to the ground in their combat training. He used to feel as if he was alive and free when he was with Ahri, but now all it felt like was a burden. Softly, Ezreal told Irelia, "I'm sorry, but there's no way I can do that."

Irelia sighed. "Why are you lying to yourself?"

Ezreal lifted his face to Irelia's. "How can you even say that? You don't know how I feel and how I've felt about Ahri. What makes you think I'm lying?"

Irelia put her right hand on Ezreal's shoulder and started getting louder. "That's because you are wavering. Every time I see you in combat, all you think about is winning, and your confidence level soars to the skies. Did that damn father of yours not teach you anything about controlling how you feel? It didn't take him long to find out for himself."

Ezreal clenched his fist. "Shut up."

"EXCUSE ME?" Irelia slapped Ezreal with such force that he fell to the ground. "I'm here to help set you straight, Ezreal. For some reason, you can only respect people with greater authority than Caitlyn because of how stubborn you are. If you continue to get on my nerves, you won't like the result."

Ezreal picked himself up and shook off the pain from his right cheek. "Alright, I'm sorry. I just hate it when I get compared to my old man…I want nothing to do with him."

Irelia could see rays of similarity between Ezreal and Walter. Although Walter never really had someone to personally compete with, he also wanted to make it known to the world that he was strong. Because of that, he became reckless and couldn't control his emotions. The ambition from Ezreal to become even greater than his father makes him even harder to deal with.

Irelia picked up by saying, "For what it is worth, your father loves you like none other, Ezreal."

Ezreal shrugged in disagreement.

Irelia grabbed Ezreal's hand as they kept going on their way to the hotel for 4A. "That man is an absolute fool, but I would never question anything he told me. From the moment that he began living for the sake of you and his wife, I could see something inside him bloom like a flower. Walter finally had something in his life that mattered more to him than his personal ambitions, and he became genuine and fought for a greater cause."

Once they arrived, Ezreal gave his final remarks. "I'll have to sleep on it, I guess. I…I'm really conflicted right now."

Irelia thanked Ezreal and sent him off. "You are a brilliant fighter, Ezreal. Your future is much more secure than many people at your age, but how you handle these sort of situations is invaluable for your growth as a person and a Champion. This is just as much about you as it is Ahri and the rest of your classmates. Give it time and you will figure out how to respond."

' _I've heard that before…'_

Ezreal could see Akali on the couch in the very back of the first floor. Riven waved over and asked Ezreal to come over.

"Is everything okay over here?"

Akali pushed Riven, saying, "Why did you bring Ezreal into this?"

Riven shrugged with her hands behind her back. "I mean, I didn't really think it through but you two are really similar so I thought it'd be good to get some advice from someone like Ezreal to help you cool down."

Akali was embarrassed, since she admired Ezreal from afar and wanted to make him think that she was strong. Now that Ezreal was seeing Akali at her worst, there was no way that she could think.

"I mean…" Ezreal rolled his eyes. "You still have a long way to go, but I bet you could get there."

Riven mentioned, "I know it's a bit embarrassing, but working on your vitality is a great starting point. Don't you think, Ezreal?"

Ezreal was known so far to his classmates for being one that doesn't let failure ever get in his way. He brute forces his way through all his obstacles, no matter how hard. "Well, that is a pretty good starting point. If you let it get to you, then recovery is impossible."

Riven added on by saying, "I was taught vitality early on by my mother. Both my parents were never well off, but they were always happy because they had each other; it was bizarre to me! I don't know where my parents are right now, and obviously sometimes I get really scared knowing that I'm on my own, but being with the rest of you makes me really happy! I hope that I can show the whole world one day how great this feeling is."

Akali lifted her head slightly. "That…that's really something I never thought of. I really lived most of my life in an anxious and results-oriented way. It's really gotten to me, I guess."

Riven got close to Akali and smiled as she held her close. "You're so much cuter when you're like this, Akali! Haha!"

"Hey, c-cut it out!" Akali was trying so hard to not laugh while Riven was all over her.

Ezreal had stepped out and went toward his room. He faceplanted on his bed after taking off his jacket. "This tournament has exhausted me so much. I can already feel so much pain in my right arm and shoulders."

' _But I know…This is all a sacrifice to get what I want._ '

Ezreal was a few moments from falling into deep slumber but he heard a knock at his door. He was surprised to see it was Riven, and he slowly cracked open the door while putting on his jacket. "Riven? What's up?"

Riven asked, "Can I come in and talk for a bit? I hope I didn't wake you up!"

Ezreal sighed and fully unlocked his door. "It's not a big deal, don't worry."

Riven motioned over to one of Ezreal's chairs, and immediately fell into it while giving out a sigh of relief. It was clear to Ezreal that she was exerting a lot of pressure onto her body as well. "I'm going to need like two or three weeks minimum to recover after this tournament is over, haha! Oh, thanks for helping me with Akali earlier by the way. The reason I asked you instead of anyone else is because Akali actually looks up to you in a lot of ways that you don't realize."

Ezreal smirked. "Really? Someone of her heritage really sees me as a superior?"

It wasn't very clear to Ezreal why anyone of prestige would even bother to care about someone like him. The only one in Ezreal's line with any significance was his father, whom he detested. Ezreal was in the middle when it came to his social status, where he could not classify himself among the popular but he was also not an outcast. The only redeemable quality that made Ezreal somewhat noticeable at his age was his intelligence. Yet, no one wanted to befriend Ezreal based on his intelligence because he was so strung on being independent and didn't want anyone weighing him down.

Riven replied, "Akali is a lot humbler than someone like Janna. Even though she comes from a great line of ninjas who have joined the Kinkou order, she has great respect for you. If I'm being honest…I have a lot of respect for you in similar ways. Your work ethic and perseverance are some great defining qualities that you have to your name that many people here might not even come close to."

Ezreal was staring at the ceiling while lying on his bed, as if he was ignoring Riven. He asked, "You're really blowing my status out of proportion, I think. I'm not a champion yet, and until that happens then I don't get to claim anything."

Riven scratched her head in confusion. "Heh, you're also really odd! Are you saying that your incredible achievements so far are null until you do one specific thing?"

Ezreal felt annoyed. "What accomplishments?!"

Riven immediately answered him. "You are the strongest fighter out of everyone in the four classes at this tournament. That speaks to how much you have trained to this day, and I can totally see a bunch of ways in which you've gotten stronger ever since we had our first class. Even though you fall asleep in class a bunch, you have better knowledge retention than almost everyone in class. Also, wouldn't you say your relationship with Ahri is an accomplishment?"

Ezreal scoffed, while thinking to himself, ' _This again?'_ So, Ez sat straight up and looked over to Riven, who was blushing and trying to cover her face from cracking up. "I don't really know what you mean, we're just friends."

It took a lot of will, but Riven managed to hold a straight face for another second before blowing up. "You're kidding, right? I mean, you're basically the only one that Ahri talks to you, right? I've heard she's madly in love with you!"

That was where Ezreal had finally come to a divergent path in his mind. ' _Ryze was right…if I stand in this crossroad forever, I will never grow for better or worse. I need to make up my mind now.'_

"Of course, she might think that, but I don't love her." Ezreal halted Riven's laughing immediately, and made her even more confused.

"Ah, I give up!" Riven smiled and said, "You're probably too tired to talk anyway, and I know you don't really mean that. I promise I won't tell Ahri how you feel, okay? See ya tomorrow, Ez!"

As the door shut, Ezreal fell back over on his back and slowly let his emotions start to rattle out. He initially started by gripping his pillow tightly, and then he eventually started slamming down on his bed. "Why do you people keep think I'm lying?! DAMN IT!" Ezreal slammed even harder against his wall and nearly put a hole right through it. "Why can't I decide which path I want to cross, WHY?"

Ezreal couldn't fall asleep for the rest of the night. He decided finally to take a walk outside and try to calm himself down. He remembered his first time seeing Ahri and how harmless she looked. If it was anyone else, Ezreal would've locked himself up. It puzzled Ezreal now that he couldn't even figure out why he even wanted to befriend Ahri when he was always aiming for the top and nothing else.

' _Was it what mom told me?'_

Ezreal threw a rock far off into the distance with great force. He still couldn't get an answer for himself.

' _What about what Caitlyn told me? Improving…how I am as a person?'_

Ekko was the first person that Ezreal was able to socialize with at the Academy. He made Ezreal more interested in learning about people's unique histories, their passions, and sometimes their painful struggles. Everything started to excel in Ezreal's life, and he eventually became comfortable around everyone and his goals blurred.

' _I got pulverized…by Caitlyn, and then Ryze. Is it really that much of a coincidence…just in the order of when these events took place?'_

Ezreal's emotions had finally started to really show. The only thing that existed in him before was stubbornness – he wanted to win, and he didn't have a capacity for emotions such as anger, sadness, love, and all the other things that he began to feel. Ezreal started to lose confidence that he knew what he really wanted ever since Ahri entered into his life. It was odd, because Ezreal felt happy and lively during the time that he was with Ahri, but now there was only confliction.

Ezreal thought of all the things he thought would be crazy if he had said it before coming to the Academy.

' _Wanting to have a wife…what a joke. Kids are even worse. I never needed any of that to get what I've always wanted.'_

"That ends here…" Ezreal grabbed a stick from the ground and drew a line in the dirt. "I don't need to deal with this anymore. As far as I see it, these feelings are reactionary and do not mean anything. I am done lying to myself."

Thus, Ezreal gritted his teeth and stepped onto his new fictional path that he created by himself, which had no room for anyone else but himself. Ezreal didn't realize it, but he was crying the entire time while he was outside.

(New Chapter coming soon)


	24. Chapter 23 - Broken

Once midnight struck Ionia that day, Irelia and Caitlyn were summoned to a gathering with the Institute of War. The two of them were not delegated as current champions, but were obligated to attend any meetings involving Ionia.

Caitlyn threw on her old police vest that she wore back in her hay day and pinned on her institute badge. She looked in the mirror and couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous she looked versus back then.

Irelia on the other hand was wearing her regular warrior armor that she had received from the 34th division quite a while ago. She had always been committed to the defense of her land, so Irelia wanted to feel like she could be called into combat at any moment. She asked Caitlyn, "When is the last time the Institute has even called you out?"

Caitlyn smirked. "Never. I only asked for barebones tasks, and was lucky enough to teach at the Academy." Both of them made their way to the side-street where they were told to stay until being picked up. Minutes later, they could see a single car slowly roll up to them with a white logo of the 34th Division of the Kinkou Order. They both got in, and went on a very long road that appeared to suddenly end. Before they stopped, they were guided out just under the bridge to a secret entrance into a room that the Institute of War had used as a shelter in the first war against Noxus. Irelia and Caitlyn showed their badges to the official at the door and went on in.

They entered into a very small room, softly lit by candle and surrounded by a large round table and a map of Ionia on the wall to their right.

"Welcome." Leona greeted both of them, and got them to their assigned seats. "Are we missing anyone else, Kayle?"

Kayle looked around and counted 16, which seemed right to her. "There is enough, so we must begin the meeting on the scheduled time." Kayle looked over to Master Yi, and asked, "Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes, of course. I'd like to start out by saying that we've collected our results for the unofficial rankings list. That will be posted in the morning when quarterfinals start. Of course, I'm sure we all want to talk about particular contestants, but I want everyone to remember that it is out of our legitimate authority to try and suppress anyone from entering the Institute of War or becoming a Champion. Our job is to help instruct and inform."

Immediately, Caitlyn raised her hand. "What are you getting at when you say this, Yi?"

Yi tried not to reveal too much information, so he said, "There have been some… _unsung opinions_ from certain people in this room, I would say."

Irelia asked, "I'm not going to let you waste our time, tell me who it is or we'll end this meeting right now."

Kayle, knowing that ruckus was about to be started, slammed the bottom of her sword on the table. "Enough! If we do not have this discussion now, it will breed resentment between you all. Yi, extrapolate your defense on Ahri so we can get over this."

The room got a lot quieter. Master Yi was largely a pacifist ever since joining the Institute of War and just wanted to shield himself from any responsibility when it comes to direct decisions. He said, "We as a body do not make decisions that harms Ionia, and as such we should not make decisions that harm the integrity of Ionia. Ever since our land has been harmed by war, our mission has been to make sure our people are safeguarded. Let's not forget that we are not the Kinkou Order, so we should not take actions that go against our-"

"You have some damn gall to talk about protecting our people, Yi." Graves interrupted Yi while putting out his Cigar. "You weren't there on the frontlines protecting your nation against Noxus. You weren't there when the demon fox killed four members of the 32nd Kinkou Order. What makes you think that this isn't our problem?"

Once more, Kayle stopped the conversation before people could add anything. "This is the last time that I will halt this discussion. If it happens once more, I will end this meeting and report your failures straight to Terrence."

Caitlyn raised her hand and was allowed to speak. "Kayle, Irelia and I want to know what you are all planning when it comes to Ahri. I am her teacher, so I hold all accountability for anything that happens to her."

"There is no official decree on how we want to deal with Ahri. However, over a 2/3rds majority of people in this branch have agreed that Ahri is a dangerous creature and should not be permitted to enter the Institute of War, should she be elected by you and Ryze."

Caitlyn nearly slammed her fist on the table. "I want names, now! Which of you who are here voted in favor of such a thing?!"

Irelia stopped her. "This discussion won't go anywhere. It is not official, and has nothing to do with the primary goal of our meeting. I'd like us to conclude and move on."

Kayle replied, "I am with you. All in favor of muting this discussion, please raise your right hand." While people raised their hands, Kayle noticed that fourteen people were raising their hands and only one person was not. Instead of notifying the people, she stood up and said, "This meeting is closed until further notice."

Everyone was looking around, and noticed someone retreating through the door in a black cloak. "YOU! HALT!" Before Kayle could get off her feet, the intruder had escaped. Angrily, Kayle sat down and said her final words. "There will not be a final decree on this discussion until we can find out who our unwanted guest is. Now that someone on the outside knows of this location, we cannot hold another meeting here. Since we've wasted enough of people's time here already, are there other important discussions we need to talk about?"

Graves raised his hand. "This doesn't concern this meeting, but it's something I need to talk with Ivanci about. I'll let you know later. Nothing else from me."

Kayle looked around and waited for anyone else to say something, but no one dared to raise their hand. "I'm officially ending this meeting. If you have anything to take up with me or Ivanci, find me before octofinals start. You may all leave now."

Caitlyn and Irelia silently exited together with mixed emotions. They didn't even wish to talk about what had happened there until they were away from the rest of the people and insiders. They felt especially disturbed that someone was able to eavesdrop on an official meeting. Once they got back to the inner parts of Ionia, Caitlyn asked Irelia if she knew who the person was.

"I am as clueless as you. But I think you know what this means for the fate of this tournament."

Caitlyn nodded, and sighed as well. "It's just as you predicted. This tournament will have major implications for people in Ionia and the Institute of War."

"We will fight." Irelia held her fist towards Caitlyn. "I will do everything in my power to stop anything from happening."

Many hours later, the final sixteen had entered the Colossus and came to the center of the arena, where they stood respective to their class.

Xeno stood behind all of them, and started calling out all the classes.

"Beginning with your Class 1A representatives – Number 54, Wukong; Number 14, Katarina; Number 7, Taliyah. This class is headed by your great Ionian representative and a member of the Kinkou order…MASTER YI!"

Master Yi stood up at the front of the bench where the rest of the Champions sat and waved to the audience.

"Your Class 2A, fielding two of the top ten seeds – Number 8, Jarvan IV; Number 2, Olaf. This class is headed by Lord Jarvan III, and holds the legacy of making every finals of this tournament!"

Ezreal remembered seeing Olaf before this tournament, before classes started. Olaf was destroying giant boulders and hurling small trees around a large area near the southern tip of the forest.

' _He's up against Janna? She stands no chance.'_

"Your Class 3A – Number 53, Talon; Number 48, Xayah; Number 13, Rakan!"

Akali saw Talon look near her direction with a devious smirk. She immediately turned and looked the other way.

Ahri asked Ezreal, "Have you see those two before…Xayah and Rakan?"

Ezreal shook his head, but was interested in who they were. Xayah looked extremely weak in comparison to Rakan, but she still managed to get this far into the tournament. It was Ezreal's hope that his match would be quick and painless if this was the case.

What made Ahri suspicious of the two was that she could sense that their spirits were connected somehow. ' _Could it be that one is controlling the other? But…that is impossible. Why is it like this?'_

Before Ahri could finish her thought, Xeno yelled loudly once more, "Your Class 4A representatives, shattering every record in the book so far this tournament – Number 23, Lux; Number 18, Janna; Number 9, Jayce; Number 5, Riven; Number 4, Ekko; Number 3, Ahri; Number 1, Ezreal!"

As the crowd came to their feet and roared across The Colossus, Kayle came to the center to make an announcement.

"Attention everyone, we are having an important schedule change. Every match except for finals will be played today. In addition, we will change the terrain slightly for the rest of the matches to match the décor of the Summoner's Rift. From this point on, the only way to win is by taking down your opponent, or by your opponent forfeiting the match."

As Kayle made this announcement, the large square platform that they were standing on started to rumble as the ground itself started to move. The middle had split into two, and a river appeared just under it.

Kayle said, "The first match will start immediately. All other contestants, please go back to your respective benches so that we may begin."

' _Finally, I can get this over with._ ' Ezreal stepped into the middle where he was met by Xayah. She was much shorter than Ezreal, and had a rather strange get-up. Xayah extended her left arm, which was covered by what looked like a bird wing, and said, "Good luck!"

Ezreal, in spite, shook her hand. "Just to make sure you know...I am here to win."

Xayah smiled. "As am I, Ezreal." She turned her body as she walked the other way.

"Ready…" Xeno was now on the outsets of the ring where he could view the match. "FIGHT!"

To begin, Ezreal ran towards Xayah on the opposite side of the river. Instead of fighting, she flew away from Ezreal. There was no way Ezreal was going to catch her, so he began firing off long range mystic shots. Xayah flew to the top of a tree, where she stopped to catch her breath.

"I won't let you escape this one." Ezreal charged his arcane bow and was ready to take down the entire tree altogether. He aimed it just under where Xayah was holding onto, but he felt a sharp pain in his back and fell over. Ezreal quickly rolled over to see what it was, but Xayah was already gliding towards Ezreal.

"This is my domain, Ezreal. No matter what you do, I will defeat you!" She threw out five sharp feathers from her right side, forcing Ezreal to shift far away.

' _Damn, what kind of fighter is she?'_

Ezreal painfully took out three feathers that had shot right into his right thigh. "If you're a long-range fighter, you won't stand a chance against me in close quarters!" Ezreal rushed over to Xayah, and jumped very high into the air. Xayah was about to fly away, but her wing started sparking and she couldn't glide away.

"W-WHAT?!"

Ezreal kicked Xayah from her backside, and she fell into the river. "Heh, now that I've found out your secret, I've won."

Ekko was in awe. "What in the world was that?"

Ahri could see it clearly. "That one time where Ezreal flashed away, he drew his essence towards Xayah and focused all of it onto her left arm. Once he got his energy back, he paralyzed Xayah's wing."

Xeno ran over to the tree to capture everything that just happened. "INCREDIBLE TURNAROUND BY THE NUMBER ONE SEED! Is the end already near?!"

Xayah stood up and looked over to 3A's bench, where Rakan was standing. "…Ok"

' _What…is she talking to herself?'_

Ezreal walked over to Xayah. "Hey, I don't want to hurt you so please just surren-" Ezreal was cut off by Xayah striking Ezreal in the stomach with her claw. He was shoved all the way to the boulders on the other side.

"WHAT…WHA-WH-WH-WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" Xeno couldn't see over the smoke, but he barely got a glimpse of Ezreal getting thrashed.

Ezreal stood up, and covered his stomach with his left hand. "Where did all…of that energy come…from?"

Instead of answering, Xayah took off her cloak and revealed her long, hawk-like ears.

Ahri's eyes widened. "A Vastaya?!"

"Although I might be individually weak…" Xayah crossed her arms. "I am stronger while I am with my love."

Rakan raised his wing on his right arm, as she raised her left arm. He blew a kiss over to Xayah and said, "Never will there be a battle where I am not by your side."

Ezreal could feel his knees shaking. It was so hard to handle, but he stood still and caught his breath. "Don't…joke with me." He quickly grabbed his arcane bow and launched bolts into the air. Xayah dodged them without even thinking about it.

Xayah looked confused. "Have you lost it?"

Ezreal shifted into the air, and let hundreds of bolts rein down onto Xayah. "You rely on other people because you're WEAK!"

Xayah's wing finally gave in and she flew towards the ground where she fell unconscious. Ezreal wanted to pin her down, but Rakan came to her side.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

Rakan got down on his knees to Xayah, and said, "Don't fret darling, I'll make sure to win the tournament in honor of you."

"R-Rakan…" Xayah could hardly speak, and she finally closed her eyes.

Rakan took her on his back and gave a menacing look towards Ezreal. "You may have power by your side, but in the end you'll see that you have nothing. The way you fight…you should be disgusted to call yourself a champion in the running."

Ezreal in complete rage shifted over to Rakan and nearly smacked him across the face, but he was intercepted by Kayle.

"That's enough, this match was over the moment that Rakan stepped inside the ring. No non-competitor shall be aided until the match is called off. Ezreal, if I see you threaten a non-competitor like that again, I will send you home."

Ezreal tilted towards the ground. "Hmph."

A man came close to 4A's bench and started talking to Ahri. "You know that Ezreal boy, right? I see he's grown quite some vigor!"

Ahri agreed. "I don't know what the source of it is, but Ezreal really seems a lot more heated and full of it lately. Something has really changed inside of him, and I want to find out what it is."

The man wrote down some notes in a small notebook and walked away. "…"

"By the way, who are-" Ahri turned her head around to talk again to the man, but he went off. Ahri noticed from the back of his cloak that he had long brown hair.

' _That's a strange coincidence…but could that have been him?'_

Ezreal came over once more to sit by Ahri. He asked her, "Ahri…I don't know if I've ever asked, but what do you fight for?"

Ahri didn't want to reveal too much, so she replied, "Well…before I came here, I only fought for myself. I knew that I had so much power, but it only meant that people saw me as a demon. After spending a few weeks here, I've realized that…I just want to fight for the sake of others, and people close to my heart."

Ezreal persisted. "Why do you care about how others think of you? Aren't you just happy being who you are?"

Ahri said, "I want acceptance, not because I hate who I am, but I fear what I might become. I didn't think that being with other people would make me content, and yet I am here and living the life of a regular girl instead of a seductive demon fox. Most importantly, I'm around people that make me feel like I matter. To those people, I want to help protect their future."

' _I know who you're talking about, Ahri.'_ Ezreal didn't want to say it out loud. Instead, he said, "I'm just lost…you could be anywhere to get what you're looking for now, but you're here instead? This is where people are ruthlessly training to become the best. It's nice to have a change of pace, but what's the point of it all?"

Ahri started to get frustrated. "You really don't get it, do you?"

Ezreal shrugged. "I'd say I'm usually a fast learner, but I can't make sense of it."

Ahri didn't want to answer. She understood now that Ezreal's state of mind was far different from the one she came to admire. Instead of talking back, she went silent.

All the while, Ezreal was thinking to himself, ' _I don't need the support of others…your admiration to me is just a testament to your weakness. Champions overcome these pointless obstacles with ease. I'll climb over this mountain with my strength alone, because that's what it means to be a Champion.'_

That was how the lie began.


	25. Chapter 24 - Delusional

' _You know…they say that there are just some things that are uncontrollable…it's based in destiny…decided by fate once we are born.'_

…

 _'That's a load of garbage.'_

In his early childhood, Ekko was routinely beat by his father and told that he was worse than trash. His older brother was supposed to be the ' _true heir to Zaun'_. There was no reason for Ekko's existence, and yet he kept going. No one thought Ekko could succeed, and yet he finally achieved something significant. Even though Ekko was the one to get selected to become a student at the Champions Academy, his parents still hated him. Ekko sometimes wondered why he even bothered some days. What was his purpose? What does he want to accomplish?

Ekko realized that his past was something that he couldn't change. Moreover, he didn't want to change it. Ekko thought that being able to withstand this pain was necessary for him to live his life without regrets.

When Ekko spent time with Janna and got to learn more about her, he wondered why she could not get over her past. It was very obvious that Janna had some great power hidden within her, but she was unwilling to release it. Before the 3rd round began, he asked Janna one more time, "Why do you fight at all, if you aren't willing to fight for yourself?"

Janna didn't understand what Ekko meant and ignored him.

Ekko held onto Janna's arm, and refused to let her go. "Don't you think this is what your Uncle wanted? He wanted do destroy your will so that you would be obedient to him, right?"

"Let go, Ekko…" Janna started getting angry, but Ekko still held onto her arm.

"You got this far fighting just to not lose, but do you really want that? You spent so much time putting on a fake persona around people to make them hate you, but do you REALLY want that?"

Janna started to hover slightly over Ezreal, and her hair started waving sporadically. "Last chance…let me go, Ekko."

Ekko yelled, "TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL!"

Janna ran her fist right to Ekko's nose and stopped; her hand started shaking up and down as Janna let herself fall to the ground.

Ekko's eyes widened, as he thought to himself as the scene developed, ' _I...I really wondered how you hid this long…I can really start to see how much you care now. I promise you it's not for nothing.'_

Although Ekko was stubborn by nature, he had a problem with people who he thought were acting 'fake'. As the tournament went on, he had a feeling that Ezreal became even more serious about his goal to reach the top. What he didn't understand, however, was that his attitude towards competition was nearly opposite before this tournament. Ekko wondered if something serious had happened that made Ezreal want to separate himself from others. He never had much time to talk to him, so instead he decided to wait it out. His classmates, however, didn't want to wait for answers. Before Riven's match against Talon began, Ahri asked Ekko if he could talk to him near the entrance. He agreed, and followed her outside.

"What's going on with Ezreal?" Ahri didn't waste any time at all. She wanted to know what Ekko made of Ezreal's attitude during the tournament.

Ekko scratched his head. "I hate to say it, but I've really got nothing. I think he's just really stressed and wants to win, so he seems more off-putting than usual."

"But what I don't get…" Ahri thought about Ezreal outside the tournament, and even while they were here. "…I feel like Ezreal isn't even happy to be here. He is the highest seed in the tournament, but that doesn't seem to be enough for him. On top of that, I rarely get to talk to him anymore. If this tournament wasn't going on, I'm certain he would be coming to me instead."

Ekko agreed that something was off. "We can't be sure what is going on with him until he reveals something, unfortunately. I'd talk to him, but I'm sure you've tried already and haven't had great results."

Ahri tilted her head downwards and grabbed her hair. "It feels so hopeless…"

Ekko, trying to not ruin the mood, said, "It's not worth getting upset over! Instead, we should go back out there and cheer for our class!"

Even though she didn't gain any new info, she was still glad Ekko came to her side. Ahri was still extremely cautious around her class and wasn't comfortable talking with a lot of them, but she knew that Ekko was somewhat close to Ezreal outside this tournament so she trusted him. They decided to go back and check in on the match.

As they got back to the bench, they noticed Riven being pelted with daggers. She was on her knees and covered in blood.

"W-WHAT?!"

Riven got to her feet, but was struck down by Talon from behind.

Ekko jumped out of his seat. "RIVEN, STAND YOUR GROUND!"

Talon planted his foot on Riven's back as she was trembling on the ground. "Pathetic little girl, you have a lot of guts to call yourself a warrior. You wouldn't survive a week in Noxus with skills like this."

Ezreal shuddered a bit. "That guy is the 53rd seed but he's so strong…"

Riven managed to get out of Talon's hold, but she looked very weak. "Agh…D-Don't think you've won this just yet…" Riven immediately dropped her broken sword and covered her mouth, where she started violently coughing up blood.

Akali got to her feet and went to stand with Ekko. "YOU CAN'T LOSE HERE!" Eventually, Ekko and Akali were greeted by everyone else getting up from their seats.

Riven was standing tall and saw everyone from the 4-A class cheering her on. "Heh, looks like everyone's counting on me!" Talon immediately swooped onto Riven, but he was countered swiftly. Riven realized that Talon's knife was attached to a weapon on his arm, so she struck his arm and broke it in half.

Talon jumped away from Riven. "How can you still move after all those blows!?"

Riven dropped her blade. "You're not wrong, this still stings like hell…but I have my friends by my side, and they give me the strength to keep on fighting. Without them, there's no way I'd be able to keep my composure. A coward of a fighter like you wouldn't understand how great it feels to have people by your side who care about you and want to see you grow."

Ekko noticed Janna managing to smile a little bit, and it made him feel warm inside.

Riven dashed towards Talon and gave him an uppercut that took him clean out of the fight.

Xeno announced, "AND THAT'S THE MATCH! What an incredible comeback from 4A's own #5 seed, Riven!"

Ekko high-fived Riven as she came back to the stands. He said, "You better fight like that in our match when we meet!"

Tournament officials had announced that they would delay the next round for an extra 10 minutes to set up the new field. Ezreal and some of the others decided to stay at the bench. The next match was going to be Janna against Olaf.

Ahri asked, "That ruthless Olaf, I met him once before coming to this academy. His physical strength is un-matched, and he got the best placement in a class full of top seeds. Are you not worried at all, Janna?"

Janna shook her head. "No, I will be fine."

Riven exclaimed, "That's the spirit!"

Ezreal scoffed at Janna's statement. "Delusional."

"E-EZREAL!" Lux looked at him with disdain. "You shouldn't say such a thing!"

Up until this point, Janna did not have the drive to win any of her matches. Instead, she wanted to avoid any harmful confrontation. The only reason that she won her matches was because the opposition each time was slightly weaker. Truthfully, Janna would have been fine with losing in the first round if it meant that she could somehow leave the academy. However, there was no way for her to escape her traumatic past. Her way of dealing with it led to her isolation from the world.

That had finally ended for her. She was done running for once.

"He's not wrong," Janna answered. "I am the embodiment of the world 'delusional'. I thought I could keep you all away from me." She looked over to Ekko, who laughed to himself. "I thought that by doing nothing, I could avoid giving any satisfaction to my damn Uncle. If I just did the minimal and made you all hate me, I could live a life of solace by myself..."

Akali started to feel her eyes become heavy. ' _I want to say I'm not convinced, but I feel so pathetic for how I've treated you now…d-damn it!'_

Ezreal held up Janna. "Hey, I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

Janna looked irritated. "Why apologize to me?"

' _Huh…?'_ Ezreal had no idea what Janna meant, even though it was very obvious what she was implying. Many of Ezreal's classmates felt troubled with the way that he was changing the entire tournament. While he was always out to compete with others, he enjoyed the company of others and built friendships.

Ever since Ryze had met with Ezreal before the tournament, Ezreal had constantly thought that he needed to continually improve and get stronger if he wanted any chance of becoming a champion. While he had no reason to believe he was getting weaker just by having friends, he felt an impulse to act lavishly for many reasons. He had to prove himself, Ezreal thought, in front of Professor Ryze, his parents, his classmates, and most importantly the Institute of War.

"Riven…" Ezreal called out as he sat down slowly.

"Hmm?" Riven sat by him. "Why do you look so out of it? Cheer up silly!" She pushed him while laughing but Ezreal just looked neutral.

"Can you tell me how you became so strong?"

Riven didn't really enjoy this question. She started playing with her hair and thinking silently. "I…well, I don't think I'm strong."

Ezreal came to his senses. "Are you serious? You just took out that Noxian assassin in one hit, and you think you're weak? Ri-" Ezreal stopped, as he started seeing Riven catch her breath as she held back her emotions.

It took a second, but Riven finally became calm. "Ah, I'm sorry. I know it's probably weird for you and everyone else to see me upset since I'm a very charismatic person. I didn't realize it but you all don't really know me very well. I think when we first met I told you all I was a Noxian soldier. That wasn't a lie, but…I think I misled you a bit. I went to Noxus because I was very young, and I was on my own."

Jayce stopped her. "Wait, you mean you had no guardians with you?"

Riven attempted a very poor smile, and said, "That's right. I've been an orphan my whole life. I have no clue who my parents are. I really identify with Janna a lot, because I felt like I was abused by Noxus and made into an object of war. I left Noxus after the war, and sort of…just went wherever. I met Terrence Ivanci at a council meeting in Ionia a few years ago, and was recommended by Noxian soldiers to attend the Champions Academy. I refused at first because I didn't think I could do it. I hadn't fought in so long and wasn't confident in my ability to fight. I was somehow reasoned with by Terrence another year later."

Ezreal asked, "Then, why do you always seem so happy? You have a very chaotic past it seems."

Riven finally conjured a real smile. "Because I love you all."

The whole crowd became silent. Pantheon asked abruptly, "How can you love people you do not know?"

Riven laughed and playfully knocked on Pantheon's head. "It's not what you think, I guess. The way I see it, I'm surrounded by people that I can call my friends. I have lived so much of my life on my own that I just wanted to be able to say that someone else is watching me."

Lux walked over to where Riven was sitting, and hugged her tightly. "You're so incredible, Riven!"

"Haha, hey come on now!" Lux's chest was tightening over Riven's face. "Like…really…I can't breathe…"

Ekko was laughing lightly while watching, and Jayce slammed on his head. "Get your mind out of the gutter, rich boy."

"You're one to talk!" Ekko retorted.

Ezreal smiled once more, and started to get a feel for why Riven was like this. It felt so odd that Ezreal was one of the only few in his class that lived a normal life. It humbled him massively. "If it means anything, Riven, I think you are strong. Your relentless effort to win is proof of that."

Riven laughed. "You're a real charmer, Ezreal. I'm interested to see where I will fit within your harem!"

Both Ezreal and Ahri stared at Riven with embarrassment. They said in unison, "T-THAT'S NOT HOW IT IS!"

Everyone else started laughing violently until the match had finally begun. Janna stood at the end of the river, where she was being charged at by the heavy barbarian of class 2A, Olaf.

"You should've surrendered while you had the chance, little girl! HYEEEEEEEEEEE!" Olaf swung both his axes into the ground, and Janna barely dodged. He was met with a brutal kick to the stomach.

Akali flinched. ' _I feel like that just brought back pain to me.'_

Janna stood her ground with her fists high. "Want to try that again, big boy?"

Olaf spit on the ground and screeched loudly. "You have a fighting side to you, do you?" Olaf dropped his axes and ran full speed at Janna. "I'LL BEAT YOU DOWN, THEN!"

He was only half-way to Janna when he was kicked into the air.

Xeno was stunned. "WHOA, WHAT AN INTERCEPTION BY 4A's JANNA! OLAF IS WIDE OPEN!"

"Take note…" Janna came right above Olaf and spun her body in the opposite direction. "Don't judge a book by it's cover." She took out her right arm and slammed him in the stomach, sending him straight into the ground. It looked like the ground exploded with smoke, so Janna blew away the debris to reveal her looking over Olaf. "I will choose my own life."

Kayle analyzed Olaf's body, and determined he could no longer walk. "The match is over."

Ezreal was in awe. ' _You and Riven…not with any great individual strength but a great attachment to the people around you. Maybe the only one being delusional up to this point was me…I want to see for myself when I battle you, Ahri._ '


	26. Chapter 25 - Lost

The competition on the second to last day of the Champions tournament was fierce, and met with many upsets. Jayce had fallen to 2A's #8 seed Jarvan IV, Janna had taken down the #2 Seed Olaf, and Lux had taken down the #7 seed Taliyah. The final match that would determine the quarterfinals bracket came down to 1A's #54 seed Wukong against 4A's #6 seed Pantheon.

"An incredible start to the day of competition live at the Colossus in Ionia!" Xeno started to announce the last match, as Pantheon was shaking in his boots at the very end of the bench for 4A.

The winner of this next match match would be fated to go against the #3 seed, Ahri. Before Pantheon even had a chance to look at the bracket, Ahri told him, "You've slowly crept into my bracket, _Atreus_. Don't think for a second that I will hesitate to kill you if you challenge me."

"What's the matter, Atreus?" Jayce poked at him with humor.

Pantheon stood his ground, although still shaking. "Heh, you fool! I'd never fall to an opponent so weak. There's a reason I'm a higher seed than you, Piltover scum!"

Jayce sighed. "It must be easy for you to get this far when you only face an average rank of 30, isn't it Atreus?"

' _Grhhh…_ '

Pantheon jumped out of the bench into the middle of the stadium.

' _I'm more than capable of beating this damn monkey…but I'm scared of the consequences.'_

"Hey Ahri, are you okay?" Ezreal looked over to Ahri, a usually quiet and low-tempered girl, who now looked like she had the wrath of hell in her eyes.

Ahri tried to calm herself down but she couldn't help but explain her quick shift in attitude. She explained, "Atreus tried to kill Jirou when I was still very young. I don't want to go into any more detail than that."

Ezreal hesitated a moment in disbelief. "Are you sure it was the same Atreus of our 4A class? As stoic and mighty that he proclaims himself to be, he doesn't come off as actually threatening."

"I have absolutely no doubt." Ahri growled fiercely. "I can remember his scent after all this time, and he has yet to deny that he was the one who attacked Jirou. I will make him regret the day he decided to attack him."

' _She seems so sure, but I can't imagine Ahri ever holding a grudge this long.'_

"Let us begin the final match! The #6 Seed Pantheon, and the #54 seed Wukong!"

The battle had started immediately, and Pantheon has immediately taken Wukong in a deadly grapple. Atreus pinned him to the ground and set his foot on his back. "This is my triumph…" Wukong had struggled to get back to his feet, but Atreus would not let him go.

Xeno took out a very small but obviously fake pair of glasses as he tried to take in the scene. "Do my eyes deceive me…or has Pantheon shut down just as he got Wukong right where he wanted him?!"

Wukong finally got out of Pantheon's stronghold and slammed him backwards into a giant boulder. "Heh, now this battle is good as mine!"

Atreus threw his shield at Wukong and jumped right above him. "I will make a statement out of you, even if it is the last thing I do."

Wukong tried to turn around, but he was already shot down by the back end of Atreus' shield. Pantheon made a large explosion with his shield as he impacted the ground. Yet, as Pantheon landed to the ground, he yelled out in pain and rolled over to the river. Wukong had taken severe damage, but he was standing with the help of his staff and breathing heavily. Atreus, still immobilized, tried to get a hold of his spear and continue fighting. Wukong slowly pulled his way over to Atreus and swatted his spear away before Atreus could get it back. Wukong put his staff right on top of Atreus' armor and said, "This is game over for you, Pantheon!"

Atreus smiled. "I went out with a bang…like a true warrior." Immediately, Atreus had collapsed.

Kayle immediately swooped over to his body. As she examined him, she noticed that he was not breathing. "I need a medic, STAT!" Kayle took Atreus in her arm and called the match off.

Ahri was visibly angry. "Coward."

Akali held Ahri's left arm and urged her to be calmer. "For all we know, he might've just went six feet under. At least _try_ to be remorseful!"

Jayce was confident and did not change his expression at all. He got up and said, "Atreus is stronger than you all think. He might seem like a fake, but he traversed through many hardships and still maintained his vision." Jayce was holding in his breath, and had a slight hiccup in his voice. "Besides, w-we still haven't settled our score. I'll…never forgive him if he doesn't come back!"

Riven and Lux both came to his side to console him. Riven assured him that Atreus was too stubborn to let it all go this quickly.

Before Ezreal could react, he was being called out for his quarterfinal match. Meanwhile, Ahri had crept out of the Colossus. She was halted by a familiar voice, and Ahri turned to her right to see Caitlyn smoking. "I didn't know you smoked?"

Caitlyn sighed, as she put away her lighter. "Partly because it gives me an excuse to go outside, and partly that it's a very stressful day." Caitlyn hadn't been doing much help for Ahri since her run in the tournament first began. She wasn't worried about Ahri, and there were other people in her 4A class that needed to be looked upon. "You know, it's okay to be emotional my dear. You should embrace the human side of yourself more."

Ahri didn't feel like talking.

Caitlyn figured as much, with everything that Ahri had to deal with in her life and in this class. "If you are conflicted, all you have to do is listen to your heart."

Ahri growled, and asked, "Then why do I feel like my heart is lying to me?!"

Caitlyn had a tough time coming to a reply. Instead, she pointed towards her origins to figure it out. "When you were with your family, you loved all of them, yes?"

"Y-Yes, what does that have to do with anything?!"

Caitlyn followed up, "Why do you think it is that you share this unconditional bond with your family?"

Ahri stopped a moment, and said, "They are the ones who protected me, who loved me, and who would stop at nothing to ensure that I'm okay."

"Do you love Jirou?"

Ahri calmed down a little more, and held her left hand while looking downwards. "I mean…of course."

"Why? He's a human, he knows nothing about you, and he ended up letting you go after a while, didn't he?"

Ahri felt as if the strings that held her body together were being tugged at all at once, while she tried to come to terms with how she was feeling. "I don't care that Jirou was a human, he loved me and embraced me with the gentle care that mirrored that of my own mother! He fought for my freedom, and I know he's still watching me somewhere!"

Caitlyn threw down her cigarette into the dirt and put it out. "You have a lot of emotional trauma dealing with humans, and yet you've looked past it to accept Jirou into your heart. What is stopping you from accepting others into your heart?"

Ahri felt agitated, saying, "It has nothing to do with acceptance…it's trust. You of all people should know I can't trust people like Atreus-"

"This has nothing to do with Atreus." Caitlyn halted her. "He's a different case. What I'm trying to do here is to help put things into perspective for you. So far, as a student at the Champions Academy, you've seemed relatively harmless. Can you think of why people might not be able to trust you?"

Ahri held her chest, as her ears pointed down in discontent. "Everyone thinks that I am a deceitful being at my core."

Caitlyn said, "That's right. I know you've struggled with finding stable friendships after having Jirou taken away from you, but you must accept people will inherently fear you based on who they think you are. It's a two-way street. That's not to say you have no reason to fear humans, but you could do better to control your emotions and hasten yourself."

Ahri asked, "Then…what am I supposed to do if I still feel like I can't trust what my heart is saying?"

Caitlyn patted Ahri and scratched her ears. "You've already done that once, haven't you? Even if it seems scary and you think it's wrong, it is better to listen to your heart. Now cheer up, silly."

Ahri was super ticklish around her ears and she couldn't help but giggle slightly and lighten up her expression. It reminded her of the time that Jirou was with her, and she would lay on his lap with her ears just slightly grazing against his arm. Nothing could truly replace that feeling for her, but she knew that it was always something she wanted to have back. "It's not an easy task…but I'm up to it."

Being one of the few hybrid humans in Ionia and in the Champions Academy meant that Ahri had to sometimes suppress her fox-side in favor of her human form. It was thanks to Ezreal that Ahri warmed up to being herself for one of the few times in her life after she started to live on her own again.

Caitlyn waved at her as she went back into the 4A bench. She looked up at the sky as a small gleam of light came upon her. She turned her hat around and said to herself, "Well, I think that's how you would've handled it at least. It is the least I can do."

When Ahri came back, she saw her two classmates in the center of the arena, eyes locked and weapons high. It was the #5 seed Riven against the #4 seed Ekko. Both of them looked hesitant, as if they didn't want to win if it meant hurting their own classmate. Janna called over to Ahri, "Hey, are you gonna cheer them on or what?"

"Oh, ahh…" Ahri was puzzled. "I don't know how I'm supposed to root for only one of them haha."

Janna felt the same. "Both of them are interesting. I'm rooting for Ekko because he was the first one to root for me."

Ekko asked Riven, "You told me you wouldn't back down, right? You should fight me like I'm going to take your life."

Riven laughed. "Hearing you say that is really funny, I'm sorry."

Ekko dashed at Riven and collided with her broken blade. "Come on, I'm serious over here."

Riven winked, saying, "You think I'm not?" As soon as she said this, she kicked Ekko away and held her blade in the light. " _O Runic blade of many lands, awaken and bring me strength in this fight._ " Her broken blade began re-assembling itself and became twice as big in length. " _The time for talk is over_."

Ezreal was amazed. "That's the blade she used for the first half of her run in the Rune Trials! How did she…"

Ekko was barely able to dodge her swings. It was as if Riven became twice as fast now that her sword was completed and glowing bright yellow. Ekko jumped in the air, but Riven quickly shut him down. Riven stood over Ekko and said, "You underestimated me, Ekko. I'm disappointed it came to an end so early."

"Heh…" Ekko breathed in, and said, "I never underestimate anyone."

Janna looked in suspense as Ekko activated is chronobreak. Riven looked like she was caught off guard, but she lifted her left leg and swung around her back, busting Ekko's device and leaving him on the ground.

"W-WHAT?!" Ekko yelled out in pain, as he threw his chronobreak device off his chest. "How could you see me?!"

Riven scratched her head and said, "Well...i'd be lying if I said it was anything more than a lucky guess!"

Ekko grunted. "Ergh…you've got to be kidding me. I'm not losing here…-GYAAA!" Riven stood over Ekko and pinned him down with her right food. Riven looked serious, but frustrated at the same time.

"Can you just give up already? You're really not making this easy for me…"

Ekko managed to somehow jump backwards and get to his feet. "Heh…I'm not going to make it easy for anyone who wants to beat me."

Janna yelled out, "JUST SURRENDER EKKO!"

"…Huh?" Before Ekko could see Janna in the crowd, Riven had dashed to Ekko's backside and knocked him down once again.

Kayle had stopped Riven from continuing, and looked at Ekko's condition. "There's no way that he can possibly fight anymore, the winner is Riven."

Janna had gripped her railings tightly and bit her lip. "That damn idiot…just didn't know when to stop…"

Riven helped Ekko get to his feet. "Damn you're heavy!" She finally escorted him to the bench and laid him down.

When Ekko came to his conscious, he saw Janna looking over his head. "…Uh, hey." It took Ekko a second to realize his head was resting on Janna's lap.

"Is this the closest you've gotten to a girl, Ekko?" Janna slightly laughed as she put her hand over Ekko's forehead.

Ekko, in denial, blurted, "N-NO! I mean…" Ekko grunted and just laid rest.

Ahri teased, "You've really eased up to Ekko, Janna!"

Janna didn't think much of it. "An idiot like him refuses to give up on what he believes. That's why you're where you are right now, Ekko."

Ekko smiled. "Meh…I don't mind being here."

Ahri smiled and remembered how she felt when opened up to Ezreal. It gave her hope that she could more confidently listen to her emotions.

Kayle announced, "We will have one more match and then commence a small break. Now, we will begin the match against 2A's Jarvan IV and 4A's Ezreal."

Ezreal jumped over the rails with eagerness. He knew the opponent very well because he had always heard stories about Jarvan III and the heir to his dynasty. Jarvan IV, like his dad, fought as a commanding officer during small skirmishes and led rallies for people in combat. Ezreal had also known that his father worked personally with Jarvan III during the last Ionian war, so he thought highly of everyone whom he worked with in Demacia. If he had any chance of displaying his skill to his parents, now was his best time.

Upon his arrival to see his son, Walter explained in more detail to Ezreal his time during war and working with Jarvan III. He explained how the toughest warriors in all of Piltover, Ionia, Noxus, and anywhere else in Valoran could very rarely measure up to the honor and self-discipline of those warriors in Demacia. Jarvan III told him that he wanted to do more than just create a legacy for his land, but create a nation dedicated to the growth of his people. For many years, Demacian leaders had thought that the existence of the nation was dependent upon creating the strongest warriors. Upon seeing the horrors of Noxus, Jarvan III wished to build peace and fill the next generation with a passion and honor that could live on for decades. One thing that struck out for Walter was when Jarvan III said, "More important than all of this, I want my son to be different than me. He carries a great burden, but I want to show him that he can be proud to carry this title and do it better than me or my ancestors."

Walter then told Ezreal that he didn't need to do anything impressive to prove anything to his old man; he wanted Ezreal to start living his own life and find his own passion. Moreover, Walter promised, "If you have the chance to take down Jarvan III's kid, or even win the title, I will cancel my ride back to Piltover and stay for the rest of the weekend to watch you. I love you, bud."

' _It's not like i'll do anything for you, Dad. This just happens to be an obstacle on my way to finals.'_

Jarvan came to the middle to shake Ezreal's hand. "You have displayed great courage and strength to get here, lad. Unfortunately, I will have to put an end to your run."

Ezreal scoffed. "We'll have to see if you really deserve to be known as the next hero of Demacia." He went over to the other side of the river and waited for the callout. The countdown had started going down, and in the glimpse of his eye he could see his mother cheering him on…but to Ezreal's complete disappointment, Walter was nowhere to be seen.

' _Wh-What…'_

Before Ezreal knew it, Jarvan IV had charged at Ezreal and knocked him down into the small river.

"You look like something is troubling you, young warrior." Jarvan knelt down by Ezreal, saying, "In times of battle, you must not let emotions rule over you."

Ezreal immediately started striking Jarvan IV with his fist. "You don't know. You'll NEVER know." In an instant, Ezreal was pushing Jarvan IV's defense to the limit. "Someone like you…you…just can't grasp what it's like to have someone look down on you THEIR ENTIRE LIFE! Have you ever spent even a whole minute away from your family before?!"

Jarvan IV attempted to dodge Ezreal's swing, but Ezreal had pre-emptively shifted to where Jarvan IV intended to jump and struck him down. Jarvan IV had coughed and backed up while saying, "Ergh, you let others dictate your life, do you?"

Ezreal, fully red and nearly out of breath already, charged up his bow and shot it instantly at Jarvan IV. It had missed completely. Jarvan IV felt unsure if he should take advantage of Ezreal's breakdown. Instead, he walked over to him again and said, "Though I may not relate fully, I can see where you are coming from."

"Just shut up already…"

Jarvan IV had started to take off his helmet and let his hair run free down the back of his neck. To take off his helmet during combat was a big taboo in his family, but he wanted to do it anyway to send a message. "I know how your father might feel about you, ever since I've consulted him and my own father on many missions. I know you bear a burden on your shoulder, perhaps similar to me but in a different circumstance. I want to invite you to fight me, not as Ezreal of Piltover, but as 4A's #1 seed. Come now, and you can finally settle for yourself who you are, young warrior!"

Out of spite, Ezreal got up and jumped backwards. "I won't be backing down anymore, I hope you know."

Jarvan IV smiled and held his spear high. "I couldn't have asked for more."

' _If he refuses to acknowledge me…'_

Ezreal dashed around Jarvan IV and threw out mystic shots from different angles, most of them being intercepted.

' _I will write my own story from hereon…'_

Jarvan IV was able to catch Ezreal off guard, but he was swept from under his feet by a large shock and fell to the ground. Ezreal stole his spear and put it toward the back of his head. "Checkmate, Jarvan IV."

He laughed, and asked Ezreal, "You surely don't think you can bring me down this easily, do you?"

Ezreal smiled. "Go ahead, prove me wrong."

Jarvan IV kicked the ground, causing the terrain to fling Ezreal into the air. "This is the end."

' _Just as I thought.'_

Jarvan IV jumped high, ready to thrash Ezreal back down, but he realized Ezreal was charging energy into his head. When Jarvan IV had hit Ezreal downward with his elbow, Ezreal came back around and knocked him from the back with a magnitude that doubled Jarvan IV's attack.

Ezreal barely got to his feet when he fell back to the ground, but he held his head high. "I know that you can manipulate terrain, and I predicted you'd try to hit me from the back, so I blocked it and countered it with all my energy."

"I…" Jarvan IV was coughing hard this time, but even he put on a smile. "I'm impressed, Ezreal. Today, this victory belongs to you. May you continue to excel on this battlefield and live your life to its fullest potential."

Kayle came out, saying, "Jarvan IV of Class 2A has surrendered, 4A's #1 seed Ezreal moves on to the Semi-Final match. He will play against Riven in the Semi-Finals. Following the break, we will have the last two Quarterfinal matches and go immediately into Semi-Finals. We will see you all back shortly."

Ezreal was confronted by Ekko and Riven, both of them congratulating Ezreal. Even though he won a great match, he looked very neutral. "I need to rest for a while after that…my head hurts so much after that last attack haha."

Lux examined his head. "It doesn't look like there's a lot of damage but you should really lay down before next match and get food."

"Of course." He walked with most of his classmates to the room where they were serving lunch, but motioned over to Ahri, who came to his side.

"You needed me?" Ahri was just standing there innocently, thinking Ezreal was going to ask her to eat with him. Instead, he grabbed Ahri's hand and walked out of the room. "H-Hey, what's this all about?!"

Ezreal didn't waste any time. "I know I've been acting weird this tournament, especially around you. I just wanted to say…" Ezreal put his hand over his chest, thinking of the time that he went to the forest with Ahri. "I'm really sorry."

Ahri, relieved, said, "You shouldn't worry so much about it. But, I'm glad to see that you're feeling better."

Regrettably, Ezreal had decided he needed to finish what he had started. "I know…that you have feelings for me, right?"

Ahri was heavily caught off guard, but she wanted to take heed to what Caitlyn told her. She firmly said, "Yes…Ezreal, you're one of the only people in Ionia that I trust. I know…back then, you said you wanted me to show my guts, right? I've always just been very shy around you." Ahri was holding her hands behind her back and twiddling along with her fingers, until she finally spoke up once again. "I-I don't want to keep holding back my feelings anymore! The truth is, you mean more to me. When I am around you, I don't feel like I need to go back to the forest. I can finally accept who I am, and that's because of you!"

Ezreal gritted his lips, trying to hold in all of the emotions. ' _Just end my suffering already…'_

Ahri wanted to stop talking. It felt like the longer she kept going, the harder her heart was beating and the lower her energy was getting. Holding her head higher, she mustered enough strength to whisper to Ezreal, "I love you, Ezreal…"

Ezreal could feel his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach. He went on a journey with Ahri…everything was just as he wanted it to be, yet at the same time he never expected it to be like this. Before joining Champion's Academy, it really felt like he had nothing. His notion of 'home' was always changing, because he almost never got to see both of his parents together. He wanted to live up to his father's expectations, and finally gain some recognition. Ezreal never thought that the recognition he craved would show up in this form. Showing up to this tournament, Ezreal wanted to leave it all behind and prove that he was worth something.

…All his goals, his ambition, along with this new love of his, none of it made sense when he put it together. Ezreal wanted it all, but he started to feel if he doesn't choose one then he will have to live the rest of his life without truly knowing his own potential. In his mind, he had to make a decision.

"Forget it."

Ezreal broke the silence, nearly choking on his words with the few breaths he took in.

Ahri just stood there, blank face, null of all emotions on her face. Ezreal looked at her once and slammed his fist against the wall, although not enough to hurt himself. "I want to respond to those feelings, because sometimes I also felt that I liked you. But…I don't trust love anymore. I hear that so much, but all I've seen it do is crush my heart over and over. Love is nothing but a lie!"

Ahri mustered up what little energy she had and said, "But, that's truly how I feel."

No longer could Ezreal stand to look at her, he growled under his breath and said, "JUST…FORGET IT!"

Ezreal refused to look back. He sprinted out of the room, wishing the day would end so he could no longer have to think about what he might have just lost.

Not knowing what was going on, Ahri held up her hand which had been shaking uncontrollably. "This feeling…something I've wanted to escape for so long, which has come back to haunt me." She wanted to expel all her emotions, but it was no longer possible. Through her life, she had exhausted all types of emotions, both through her lust and her inferiority complex. Ahri fell over, the world spinning out of control in her head as she tried to make sense of everything that she had known up until now. She wondered if the love that she had for Jirou was also a lie. The trust that she finally mustered for humans, a lie. The bond that she formed with Ezreal, a lie.

More than ever in her entire life, Ahri had truly felt lost.


End file.
